Bachelorette
by pansyxdraco
Summary: Due to her mother's obsession with perfection and beauty, Pansy is forced to undergo major changes in appearance. She is set up on several dates with eligible bachelors, each as bad as the next. Will the one she is meant to be with have been there all alo
1. The Horror

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K.Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Brothers., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

Finally, after seven years, she was done with Hogwarts. The ceremony had been unbelievably boring. She had sat there for what seemed like hours until her name was called, only to shake Dumbledore's wrinkled old hand and accept the bit of unimportant rolled parchment that signified her graduation. 

As if it'd help her any. Dumbledore told them that being graduated would allow them to pursue any career they should want, and had tossed extremely conspicuous glances to the Slytherin section.

Pansy Parkinson wasn't allowed to work as she pleased. Yes, she was allowed to become a book clerk or cashier to pass the time, but that was only until she married. And her mother wanted her to marry within a few months time, so it didn't matter what she wanted. Sure, she could file books and check them out to people who had freedoms she did not have, but it'd be painful.

It seemed a bit odd to say she had no freedoms. After all, she'd been born in the house she currently resided in, and had the same rights as everyone else. The only problem was that her family was one of the wealthiest, purest lines out there. The thought made her cringe.

It had all began at a young age. Lessons to learn proper etiquette, lessons to dance correctly in about ten different ways, dressing, everything. And if there was one thing she despised, it was being taught to do things a certain way. Of course, it wasn't as though these lessons had no impact on her. She had become as she was expected. Proper, uptight, and cunning. Her family had always wanted her to be cunning, and she was.

That was why she was in Slytherin. The façade had become rather normal for her, so much that it became her. She acted as she was to. Now, however, her mother was gravely disappointed in her for not finding a husband. How could she be so inconsiderate?

Her father had died in her sixth year at Hogwarts. He was a Death Eater, and an awful one at that. He did not impress Voldemort, and had never succeeded in making it as far as the ever so cruel Lucius Malfoy had. Because of his inability to be good enough for the circle, Voldemort had killed him with a wave of his wand.

She had gotten over it by then. It was all in the past. Her mother hadn't cared. The two parents had been extremely different people, and Pansy had caught them cheating on each other a number of times. It got to the point where she had so many Parkinson family secrets in her head that she could've exploded.

Her mother had scolded her for not finding a worthy pureblood male in her house to marry. Now, Regina Parkinson was going to have to pick one for her herself. Normally, Regina would not have been against this, had it not been the way that she and her husband had paired up. And how she'd loathed him!

At first, she hadn't wanted the same fate for her daughter. But remaining pure was the most important thing in her life, and she wasn't going to let her only child screw that up for her. Despite how awful Pansy's life may turn out.

So now we're back to how we began. Pansy was lying on her bed, her black hair spraying out about her head. The sheets were just as soft as they'd always been against her skin, her pale, pale skin.

She had never been the prettiest girl in Hogwarts. Or the smartest, the tallest, the fullest, the sexiest, or anything. She was just Pansy Parkinson, an average Slytherin girl who had never had a boyfriend in her life.

A bit pitiful, yes. But Pansy had veered away from relationships, really becoming the friend to most guys. Despite pathetic crushes she'd had, none of them had seen her as anymore then a friend, and she accepted it. Millicent had been her only friend that was a girl. The rest had all been boys, and she seemed to have fit in with them much better than she did the others.

She twisted the edge of her blanket in between her fingers, glad to have persuaded her mother two years back to let her switch from pink to any other color. Her mother had chosen lavender, but it was at least better than pink.

The silky smooth blanket slipped in her hands, moistened by lotion, keeping her painfully dry skin to a minimum. She always had dry skin, and there wasn't much to do about it. Over the years, she had always had to carry around a bottle of lotion wherever she had gone. However, that's dreadfully off topic.

"Pansy?" A voice called from downstairs, a voice she recognized all to well as her mother's. A small sigh escaped her lips and she heaved off the bed, straightening her robes and heading towards her door. She paused a moment at it, wishing she didn't have to come to her mother's call, but sighed again and headed towards it.

"Yes, Mother?" She asked politely after she descended the stairs, observing her mother. Regina had always been an exceptionally pretty woman, the kind you expected to see on the front cover of _Witch Weekly_.

"I need to talk to you about your diminishing future." Regina said, eyeing her daughter a moment before waving her hand, directing her into the parlor.

Pansy walked in first, seating herself at one of the maroon, leather couches. Her back straightened against the back of the couch, her legs close together but not crossed, that gave you spider veins.

"What is it, Mother?" She asked, struggling to hold up her polite attitude towards her mother. If only she had the option of leaving home now… She'd be disowned, disregarded, and penniless. It was certainly not an option.

"It has come to my attention that you have very little time to find an appropriate bachelor for your marriage. Obviously, you cannot choose one for yourself, so I will be picking for you." She began, and Pansy fought the temptation to roll her dark eyes, maintaining a steady glance.

"Of course, Mother." She said, as she was expected to. Pansy had to agree with what her mother said; it was how she was raised.

"Good. If you actually plan to seduce someone even slightly attractive," Regina began, and Pansy's face tightened slightly at the mention of seduction, "you'll have to clean yourself up a bit. I've arranged a specialist to fix that pug nose of yours, and then do something about that mop on your head. I have also hired a professional to come and teach you the proper way to apply make up, seeing as you've never touched the stuff. And then we'll deal with your clothes. Something tighter, fitter." Regina explained, and Pansy did all she could not to groan.

Her mother believed that if you didn't look pretty, you weren't going to get married and you certainly weren't going to have any place in the wizarding world. And Pansy was in no place to object to her mother.

"Of course, Mother." She repeated, forcing the weakest and fakest of smiles she'd ever produced.

"Good. Tomorrow at two, be prepared to head for the specialist." Regina finished, standing up and heading out of the room.

Pansy stood up as well, walking soundly out of the parlor and up into her room, where she flopped onto her bed and proceeded to groan as loud as she possibly could into her pillow.

This felt as though everything Pansy had been was being ripped away from her. She hadn't ever taken pride in the fact that she was not the best of anything, but it was who she is! And now her mother was going to take it away merely so some pureblood snob would spare her a second glance.

She stayed in her room most the day, reading novels that told of two people who had fallen in love, not worrying about the difference of their blood or the way that the two looked. They had fallen in sync with each other. Although to Pansy, these would always just be a fairy tale; something to help her sleep at night.

By two the next day, she was waiting for her mother in the foyer. Just as the clock went five minutes after, her mother walked into the hallway.

"To Number 16, Grishom Hall," Regina told her, nodding simply before she apparated from sight. Pansy followed, dreading her fate.

When she arrived, she found herself on the porch of a modern looking building. It looked nothing like the enchanting Hogwarts castle or the aged stone of the Manor. Her mother was waiting impatiently for her by the door, a large, oak door. She approached it wearily, wondering if this was going to hurt. If only she had a say!

As they reached the door, Regina pressed the circular button by the door and Pansy heard what sounded like a bell. Moments later, the door opened, and there stood a very well-kept man who looked to be about the age of her mother.

"Ah, good evening Mrs. Parkinson." He said, brushing invisible dirt off his expensive suit, opening the door further to allow them in.

The home looked nothing like anyplace she had ever been in. The walls were painted dull beige, decorated by plaques and ribbons. What looked to be a lantern was on the ceiling, but she could see no fire.

"Pansy, this is Doctor Seiveknotte." Her mother whispered to her, and Pansy merely nodded, unable to say anything. Any hopes she had for this not hurting were gone.

At last, she followed her mother into a room surrounded by metal on every wall. Doctor Seiveknotte instructed her to sit on a chair in the middle of the room. She did so, nervously, placing her hands in her lap.

"I know just ze curse to cure jour little nose problem." Doctor Seiveknotte said with a very unconvincing accent. He pulled a podium towards him that had a very large book on it. With a wave of his ebony wand, the pages flipped absentmindedly to rest on one near the end.

He said nothing more, merely pointed his wand straight at her nose, causing her to not only cross her eyes but become extremely nervous.

"_Redintegro!"_ He shouted, and a blast of electric blue light shot from his wand, hitting Pansy square in the nose.

It felt like pinpricks of needles all over her skin, and then the pain increased, feeling like someone was punching her in the nose while wearing brass knuckles. She let out a short whimper, not wanting to make her mother angry with her.

And then it was done.

She opened her eyes, staring miraculously around the room. Her mother looked a cross between shocked and impressed, while Doctor Seiveknotte looked very impressed with his work. He grabbed a mirror off a desk nearby, handing it to her.

Shakily, she brought it to her face.

A small gasp emitted from her lips and she looked at herself in awe. It was as if she was an entirely different person. Her black hair was still a bit matted and tangled, and her eyes watery from the pain, but she looked…pretty…

Never before had Pansy been used to ever thinking of herself as even the slightest bit attractive. But she grinned, a surprisingly white smile. Perhaps the spell had made her teeth go from a dull white to a sparkling, shining white. She grinned broader, putting down the mirror and turning to her mother.

Her mother smiled a little, something she hadn't seen her mother do in years.

"Thank you, Doctor." Pansy told him, standing up and resisting the urge to brush off her robes, which would have been dreadfully unnecessary. She was still grinning, recollecting the person in the mirror.

But it faded quickly. Her mother was doing this so some man wouldn't object to marrying her. She suddenly wished she had the nose back, only to cover herself up from the men she was to meet.

"What did he do?" Pansy asked quietly as her mother headed out the door.

"He just transformed your nose. It was spectacular, really, and you look much better." Regina said with a soft smirk, apparating out of sight.

Pansy merely guessed that her mother had returned home and did so as well, hurrying up the cold stone staircases to her room to stare at the nose some more.

As soon as she arrived home, her mother assured her into the extra study, once belonged to her father. However, the room had been transformed into a salon, it seemed. A sink with a comfortable looking leather chair in front of it, a vast array of hair products and a giant book on spells for hair. Mirrors lined every wall, some a different angle and some of the magnification a little different. Lanterns hung atop the mirrors, making Pansy feel ashamed of what had become of her father's study.

Great. So now she was getting the hair part of her done. Her hair had grown long now, much longer than fifth year, and was just about halfway down her upper arms. It was usually tangled and frizzy, sticking up every which way.

"Ah! Welcome!" Called the plump woman jovially, scurrying over to where Pansy stood in the doorway.

"Pansy, this is Renadele. She'll be doing your hair." Regina explained with a sickly sweet grin, tossing her hair over her shoulder and heading back out the door. "I'll be back in a while." She said, disappearing from sight.

Pansy looked nervously to Renadele. The woman had an almost treacherous smile on her face. Pansy merely attempted to return a weak grin.

"Sit." Renadele instructed, waving her chubby arm towards the leather chair.

Pansy did as she was told, waiting impatiently. She hated to have her hair touched by anyone. And she certainly wasn't prepared for Renadele to push Pansy back so her hair was in the sink and then begin to run water over it.

Renadele used a very good scented shampoo and conditioner in her hair, lathering each one for ten minutes a piece. When she finished, she rinsed it very well and waved her wand so it dried straight.

"Now… Let me see… I believe that with your face shape, you'll have straight hair. But your hair is terribly thin… Ah yes, we'll fix it right up. Just a quick spell…" Renadele said, brandishing her oak wand and pointing it at Pansy. She clearly spoke a spell and Pansy's head felt a fraction of an inch heavier. She reached up, feeling its soft and thick strands.

Pansy waited for the rest to be finished, and Renadele merely smiled.

"Darling, every morning, I will expect you to wash and dry your hair and then perform this spell. It is called _Drenesectir Moriuliam_." Explained Renadele, waving her wand and enchanting the spell. Any curls that had been previously there were gone now, and her hair reached down a bit father. "Certainly going to work for you."

"Uh… Good…" Pansy said quietly.

"Now, if you want to put it up, you've got to carefully, and I mean _carefully_ brush it back with this comb. Your mother ordered you a few of these, so you should be fine. And always allow hair down on the sides of your face." Renadele said, reminding Pansy of some of the girls in school. "But I suggest not wearing it up unless it's a fancy event or function. If you're going casual, wear it down. And on a date, wear it down."

Pansy frowned as she looked in the mirror in front of her. Her hair looked very pretty, long and silky straight, thick and not shining against the light. She was beginning to look like a completely different person. Her face no longer had any pug qualities and her hair no longer matted or waved in some places and stood stringy and straight in others.

"Now wait just a moment." Renadele ordered, raising her wand and waving it.

The room instantly transformed into what looked like a makeup parlor. There was a long line of eyeshadows, blushes, foundations, illuminators, eye liners, lip liners, mascaras, and any other bit of makeup you could ever wish to own. The mirrors and lanterns stayed the same but the sink was gone.

"Let's see. You're extremely pale, dear. Before we get started on the make up, let's take you to a little place I like." Renadele said with a wicked grin, co-apparating with Pansy to another place.

This place was large and modern as the surgeon's house had been. Renadele led her into the door and a thin, very tan woman behind the counter stood up.

"Can I help you?" She asked, tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"Yes, this dear here needs a tan." Renadele said, and Pansy's eyes widened dramatically. The woman behind the counter smiled, nodding knowingly and leading Pansy to another door near the back.

"All right, just take off your clothes and get into there. It's your first time tanning, isn't it?" The woman asked sweetly.

"Yes." Pansy said quietly, dreading this. She was going to be as red as a strawberry. And she had a feeling this was a muggle place, because instead of lanterns, there were circular bulbs and a cord running to the wall.

"All right, five minutes ought to do it. I'll ring a buzzer and the lid will open." The woman finished, nodding and leaving the room.

Pansy quickly stripped out of her clothes, cautiously slipping onto the bed type thing. She picked up the goggles laid for her and pulled them over her newly prettied hair, and the lid closed on her.

She felt extremely claustrophobic at the moment, and the lights burning on her pale skin were making her a bit worried.

She lay there worriedly for five minutes until she heard an extremely annoying buzzer, then the lid rose. She hurried out, not sparing herself a glance before she pulled her clothes back on.

When she walked out, she quickly came to Renadele, who had paid the woman with odd strips of paper.

"We'll be back tomorrow." Renadele told the woman before grabbing Pansy's hand and leading her outside.

"Was that a muggle place?" Pansy asked, pulling her hand away from the odd salon woman.

"Yes. I told her you were extremely self conscious of your body, so you wore that hideous dress." Renadele said, referring to Pansy's robes.

Pansy blushed quickly and apparated back home.

Renadele began quickly on makeup, setting Pansy in the chair and picking up one of the foundation bottles. She quickly applied it to Pansy's face, then setting it down and moving on to one of the many powders.

After that, she began on Pansy's eyes, lining them with eyeliner and covering the lids with light eye shadow, then applying mascara. Pansy sat still through it all, having the feeling she was going to look like Millicent had when the poor girl had attempted make up.

But when she was finished, Pansy nearly gasped at the outcome. She looked almost the same, just more fine tuned, and her face looked a lot darker than she remembered. Her eyes looked larger and the darkness of them seemed to fit more with her skin color than it ever had.

She could've grinned, had it not been for the fact that this was all for her mother.

Upon that thought, Regina Parkinson walked into the room, gasping in approval.

"Oh, you did a great job, Rena! Absolutely wonderful! Now, Rena will tell you how to apply it all so you can do it yourself. Oh, I'm very, very pleased." Regina said happily.

"You'll have to take her back to the tanning bed tomorrow, and make sure she dresses like a muggle." Renadele told her, seeming to have cringed at the nickname of 'Rena', but carried on to clean up a bit.

Pansy nodded. "Thanks." She said, looking miserably to her mother before Regina left.

They spent an hour perfecting how to apply the makeup.

When Pansy had finally begun the road to perfection of applying the makeup, she set it down, and her mind raced.

She was going to marry someone her mother chose, be forced to conceive their child, and then would not even get to raise the child. A maid would feed, change, and play with the baby while Pansy was to wait until it is old enough to even recognize her and not the maid as its mother.

Her eyes, surrounded with makeup, began to well in large droplets of tears. She felt an unfamiliar stinging in her cheeks, and quickly began to gather her robes. She, a Parkinson, could not cry. Ever. It would be one more thing for her mother to condescend her on.

"You all right, dearie?" Renadele asked as she waved her wand to collect the makeup.

"Fine!" Pansy told her coldly, leaving the room and shutting the door that once would be the door she passed to come see her father when he returned from work.

He would always pull his child to his lap and tell her lies of how wonderful his day had been. She knew it was a lie, but giggled and grinned to him when he wanted. However, as she had grown older, he didn't lie anymore. He didn't even tell her about his fake wonderful days. She would sit in the chair across his desk and tell him how horrible Dumbledore was and McGonogall, and how everyone was putting up this big fit about Voldemort.

Until he died. Then she had nothing. Nobody to tell her troubles to and nobody to listen. Yes, she could've told her friends, but they were boys, and most had a very small emotional range, unable to comprehend her feelings or listen to her for longer than their attention spans allowed.

Sighing, she flopped onto her bed, dark hair spraying out across it, masking her new perfection. She wanted to mess up her hair, to smear the makeup, to change her nose back! But she had no option. She was now the trophy wife that she was always supposed to be.

Now, rather than men giving her one glance and turning to a prettier girl, she would be destined to live life the way her mother or family chose for her. The horror…


	2. Bachelor 1

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K.Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Brothers., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

Her mother didn't waste any time after the changes had been made. Regina Parkinson took Pansy to the muggle tanning place as she was directed to, dragging the young teenage girl back to the manor and ordering her to sit in the parlor. 

Her mother stormed in, looking incredibly cruel through her beauty. Pansy used to admire her mother's looks before her father died. Before her father died, Regina had been kinder. Before her father died, Regina had been in every way beautiful. Now she was only intolerable.

"I will be arranging for a young man to come to the manor and eat dinner with us. He and his parents will join us and he will be a potential husband. I expect you will be on your best behavior. And you will most certainly not tell him of your recent changes. According to him, you've always looked that way." Regina snapped sternly, brushing her shiny brown hair from her face and straightening her robes.

"The arrangements will be made for this Friday. Not that you will have any plans," Regina finished, turning on her heel and leaving the room, nearly knocking over a house elf in her path.

Pansy waited until ten minutes had passed. She was going to be paired up with whomever her mother decided suited her. She had a feeling that many sleepless nights were ahead of her.

The next morning, Pansy awoke to being shaken violently.

"Wake up!" Regina shouted, finally rousing Pansy. "We've got work to do! UP!"

"I'm up!" Pansy muttered, forcing herself out of her bed. She stumbled over to her dresser, rubbing her eyes momentarily before looking at herself in the mirror.

She gasped slightly, remembering that she was someone else now. It was odd looking in the mirror and not seeing the same person she had seen for the past eighteen years.

Her mother tested her by having her prepare herself for the day totally by herself. She messed up awfully at the makeup but fixed it with a few spells Renadele had left her. She chose the robes that she knew would impress her mother. Fitted, low-cut, hugging robes. She hated them to be blunt. After dressed and prepared, she headed downstairs to prove to her mother she could do it.

Her mother's eyes glinted in triumph at her once tomboy daughter's appearance. A smirk drifted onto her thin lips.

"Good. I've prepared some books for you to read while I go and pick up a few things. Get to it," Regina ordered, heading for the doorway and as soon as the door slammed, Pansy hurried into the parlor.

She had a good feeling about this. Her mother leaving her books was definitely sounding like a good way to pass the time until the dreaded dinner date with whats-his-name and his parents.

Unfortunately, she was met with a large and towering stack of dating books. They were obviously written hundreds of years ago by housewives instructing how to properly take care of one's husband. It was degrading, really. Absolutely degrading.

Sighing, she settled into one of the couches and pulled a book to her, opening it lazily and flicking her eyes over the words with little interest.

_Your husband is the most vital person in your life. You must treat him as so and make sure he knows it. Degrading your husband, putting him down, or disagreeing with him will make him feel as though he is a failure. If you do this, then you are a failure at being a proper wife._

Pansy didn't concentrate on much more of it after that. She distracted her mind with thoughts of school days. She had been fun, all the guy's best friend, and the only person they could all tell things to. The guys would have laughed at them, and despite the fact that Pansy may have just been 'one of the guys', they trusted she wouldn't tell anything.

She missed them. They wouldn't keep in touch. How often do guys owl each other about how things are going when they've only been apart a little while? How often do they owl each other at all? She could owl them, but face telling them about her mother's marriage breakdown? No, she'd rather wait.

_Trust me; it is a good thing that you do not have to choose your husband. Marrying for love is an oxymoron. _

Pansy sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. Did people really believe this nonsense? Before she knew it, she'd fallen asleep, and didn't mind one bit.

"PANSY REGINA PARKINSON!" Screamed an all-too-familiar voice in her ear, causing her to sit up and yelp a little in surprise.

"Three pages? THREE PAGES?" Her mother carried on, lifting the book. "You were here for a good three hours and you did a page an hour?" She tossed the book on the top of the pile. "I bet you didn't get one thing out of that! Go on, tell me one thing."

"Marrying for love is an oxymoron," Pansy quoted, rubbing her head.

"Get up and go fix your hair. I've got new robes for you that you need to try on." She barked, shoving the bag into Pansy's arms.

"Yes, Mother." Pansy said, starting to jog upstairs but remembered that jogging was not graceful. So she tamed her walk to a graceful stride up the stairs.

The rest of the week went by rather quickly. Regina had chosen the ivory robes for Pansy, which she thought made her look too dark and her hair too bright. However, her mother knew best.

"Pansy!" Called Regina from down the stairs.

Pansy sighed, opening the door from her bedroom and walking with the poise she had been practicing until late hours with Regina every night.

"Tomorrow evening, Joel Gazelle will be coming to the Manor. I expect you will look your best," Regina began, examining Pansy's choice of clothing. "The house elves are preparing steak as the main course. Do not spill any food on your clothing. Do not sit on anything that has not been cleaned and shined by the house elves. Do not disrespect Joel or his parents, Rodney and Sadie." She practically spat Sadie's name, apparently disliking it.

"Of course, Mother." Pansy replied nonchantly.

"You will ask about Mr. and Mrs. Gazelle's lives and you will be interested. You will ask Joel of his job and of his experience at a different school. You will be interested. Do you understand me, Pansy?" Regina grilled into her head, reminding Pansy of some sort of brainwash.

"Yes, Mother." Pansy responded, dreading the following night.

"Good. Now, go up and finish reading the book I gave you." Regina said, waving her long, skinny arm and turning back to the desk.

Pansy nodded, walking gracefully from the room and settling at her desk, staring at the book. She hated it. Due to her mother's obsessions, she had gotten about halfway through it.

_If he's hurt, it's your main priority to make sure he not only gets back into his previous health, but better. _

She sighed, running her hand through her hair and toying with it a moment before a sharp pecking at her window brought her from her trance.

She stood up from her chair, walking to the window and allowing a familiar tawney owl inside the room. It belonged to Millicent Bullstrode, the only friend she had that had her same gender. Not great friends, mind you, but friends nonetheless.

She carefully opened it, realizing at once it was a wedding invitation.

_Dear Pansy,_

_I, Millicent Bullstrode, cordially invite you to a ceremony celebrating the joining of two families and two hearts. On Saturday the 16th in the month of August, I will be hosting a marriage from me to Vincent Crabbe. I request your attendance and do hope you will RSVP back to me with your response._

_Sincerely,_

_Millicent Bullstrode_

Pansy always knew those two would end up together. Crabbe had been obsessed with her for a while and Millicent had been flattered. She wasn't used to that sort of attention. And well, they'd dated for most of the years at Hogwarts. They were bound to get married shortly after Hogwarts was over.

She felt envious of them, really. They were in love. _Oxymoron my ass_, Pansy thought to herself, shaking her head and setting the letter down. The wedding was months away. Pansy might even be engaged to someone by then.

The thought was almost unbearable. It might be to this Joel Gazelle, or perhaps to some man twice her age. Perhaps her mother would set her up with someone she actually liked or knew from school… No, Regina was far too cruel for that sort of special treatment.

Pulling out a sheet of parchment, she placed it in front of her and decided to write back to Millicent. Maybe if she was lucky, Regina would allow her an afternoon to catch up with her friend. Highly doubted, but still.

_Millicent,_

_I was pleased to hear that you and Vince are marrying. I know you probably have heard this a billion times, but I knew it was going to happen. I'm not certain if I may come or not yet, but hopefully._

_Mother is going to a whole new level of insanity. I don't look like myself anymore, believe it or not. She went and got my nose fixed. I know I was always complaining about it but it's gone now. I'm just different now. You probably wouldn't recognize me. Anyway, have you heard of Joel Gazelle? I'm supposed to meet him tomorrow. Apparently, he's a potential husband for me. _

_So have you heard from the guys? I sort of miss them, you know. It feels like ages since I've talked to them. Remember when we would spend the entire summer (almost) at each other's houses just enjoying ourselves? Those were the days, eh?_

_Well, do write back. I've got to finish reading _How to Properly Be a Houswife_. See you soon!_

_With Love,_

_Pansy_

She sent the letter off with Millicent's owl, turning her attention back to her book. It got more profound the farther she got into it, but it was pleasing her dear old Mother.

The next morning, she woke on her own call, which surprised her. For the past week her mother had woken her up extremely early and then forced her to practice poise or other equally dull activities.

It was almost ten in the morning. With a yawn, she forced herself out of bed and stretched. Pulling a robe over her silky nightgown, she headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Finally, you're up! Go upstairs and take a long bath. Breakfast will be ready when you come back down," ordered Regina from the kitchen table.

Pansy sighed irritably, turning around and heading back to her room. She took an extra long bath, enjoying the feel of the warm water soaking her. It was a relief from all this craziness going on in her life.

Once she was finished, she performed the basic drying spell, leaving it at that, knowing that her mother would want the maid to do something special with her hair. She decided not to put on her ivory gown yet in fear of spilling something on it before the evening. So she chose a blood red robe, pulling it over her and quickly cleaning up herself before going back downstairs.

"The Gazelles will arrive at six-thirty this evening. Renadele will be by to fix your hair and makeup and re-teach you how to apply the makeup since you've been doing a lousy job at it. Now, change into comfortable clothing and take a jog around the grounds." Regina ordered, wiping her mouth with a cloth napkin.

"I just bathed, Mother." Pansy pointed out, disappointed.

"I know that!" Regina barked. "Go change and take a jog, as I ordered!"

Pansy sighed irritably again, realizing her mother had purposely made her skip breakfast. She changed into some clothes that were in the very bottom drawer of her dresser. Once changed, she pulled her hair back and headed out the back door.

She took one lap around the Grounds, heading back inside.

"You're finished? Go do ten laps and then come in." Regina snapped.

Pansy snarled, heading back outside and doing ten more laps. It got very painful around the ninth lap and she was going to collapse by the time she reached the door. When she got inside, her mother was waiting impatiently, attempting to read.

"Now, go take another bath and Renadele will be here in thirty minutes."

Pansy yawned, walking upstairs and taking yet another bath. Once she was finished, she dressed and performed the drying spell. It was nearly noon now.

Renadele came by just on time, leading Pansy back into the study which she converted back into a beauty parlor in just a few moment's time.

After nearly an hour's work, Pansy's hair was curled to perfection. Just some actually rather pretty style had been added to the ends, curling them in short ringlets and adding various ringlets to other sections.

Pansy applied the makeup nearly perfect with just a few mistakes on the powder and a tiny blot on the mascara. When she was finally perfected, it was nearly 1:30.

At last, her mother told her to read until the ball time came around. So, careful of her hair and makeup, she read. And when it was nearly four-thirty and she was getting so bored of reading that she could barely stand it, Millicent's owl tapped on the window.

Eager for a distraction, she shot up and snatched the letter, ripping it open carelessly and sitting back down.

_Pansy,_

_Getting prepared for a wedding is so tedious! All Vince gets to do is sit around and watch me fret. Ah well, he says 'I look cute when I fret' which I don't believe for a second, mind him._

_So your mother finally slipped off the edge? Sorry about that, Pans. She always seemed a tad off her rocker to me. I'm really dying to see you! We've got to have a cuppa sometime! Just let me know when your Mum decides you can have some free time, yeah?_

_Anyway, Vince is reading over my shoulder at the moment; yes you Vincent Crabbe, so I'd better go. Write back!_

_Love,_

_Milly_

Pansy sighed, smiling lightly at the letter. Millicent always had been so cheerful despite the Slytherin attitude. She didn't feel much like replying at the moment, knowing it'd be too dull.

She tried to go back to the reading but failed miserably. Making her way into the bathroom, she carefully touched up on her makeup, going downstairs for something better to do.

"Ah, Pansy! Go eat something! I don't want you looking like a pig to our guests." Regina ordered, pointing at the kitchens.

So finally she was letting her eat something! Pansy grinned lightly, hurrying into the kitchen with no regard for proper poise and eating away.

She stopped before her hunger was fulfilled, not wanting to be too full for the evening. Who knows? Maybe she'd actually sort of like this Joel guy.

When six came around, she changed into her robes, doing final touch-ups on her appearance and walking downstairs into the parlor.

"What are you doing down here?" Regina snapped, glancing at her tiny golden watch.

"I was waiting for the guests." Pansy said, as if that wasn't the obvious answer.

"Haven't you even _read_ that book? Go upstairs! When the doorbell rings, you prepare yourself. I will have a house elf come and tell you to come downstairs once their coats have been taken. It's called a grand entrance." Regina continued, pointing her arm at the stairwell.

Pansy walked gracefully upstairs, pacing her room for several minutes. At last, the doorbell rang, but Pansy had to stand in the bathroom and make sure she looked perfect. Which, though she wouldn't admit it, she did. She looked great.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Gazelle!" Regina began, falsing a happy greeting.

"Do call us Rodney and Sadie, Regina. I'm sure you remember our son, Joel," Sadie said, their voices trailing down the hallway to Pansy's room.

"Of course, of course. Elf, inform Pansy of the Gazelle's arrival." Regina ordered and the elf's footsteps sounded up the stairs and then to the door.

"Yeah, I know." Pansy said as the elf opened the door.

She straightened her back, smoothed her gorgeous ivory robes, gave her hair one last fluff to make sure it looked fine, and headed out the door. When she reached the top of the stairs, she took a look at the family.

Rodney and Sadie Gazelle were an odd couple. Rodney looked to be a large aristocrat with tanned skin and short, clean-cut hair. His wife was skinny, bone-skinny, skinnier than Regina with hardly any shape to her. She seemed very pretty though and looked a lot younger than she was, as Regina did.

Joel looked to be a fair mix between them. Not an aristocrat like his father but a strong looking man with slightly darker skin and brown eyes. He was wearing, as his father, a very elegant pair of dress robes. Sadie wore a beautiful gown that looked to be silk.

She made her way down the staircase, surprising herself with her own poise. At last she reached the bottom of them, and Joel seemed to be thoroughly inspecting her. She sported a somewhat triumphant expression when he looked to be satisfied.

"Evening, Ms. Parkinson," Joel Gazelle greeted politely.

"As to you, Mr. Gazelle," Pansy replied, knowing she was impressing her mother at the moment.

"You look ravishing," Joel told her, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it softly before allowing it back to herself.

"Why thankyou, Mr. Gazelle."

"Call me Joel."

"And I Pansy."

Joel grinned slightly, and Pansy returned it though it was rather fake.

"To the parlor?" Regina asked, and the guests nodded, following her into the parlor. The men waited until the women were sitting before they took a seat beside their partner. All but Regina, who was occupying a giant armchair that had to be at least twice her size.

"So Joel, what is it you do for a living?" Pansy asked, noting he was probably a couple years older than you.

_Don't ask him how old he is on the first date. If you're younger, he'll either like it or feel dreadfully uncomfortable._

"I work in the Ministry of Magic as the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation." Joel explained.

"Really? How'd you get a job like that so fast?" Pansy blurted, not fully aware that she shouldn't be saying things like that to someone.

_They aren't wrong. They don't cheat. So don't suspect them of it._

"I… Well, I am very skilled in that subject…" Joel began, but Regina broke in to change the topic.

"Pansy actually came out fourth in her class from Hogwarts."

"Yes? That's fascinating." Joel replied, though he didn't seem at all interested.

"Well, I don't like to brag. What school did you attend?" Pansy asked, tilting her head just slightly to the side.

"Durmstrang." Joel said matter-of-factly. "I was one of the few students there that got out of a class because I could speak English."

_When they make a joke, even if it might not be a joke, laugh. It's funny._

Pansy laughed slightly.

"I imagine that gave you time to catch up on schoolwork and such." Pansy commented. "What number were you of your class?"

_Don't ask them about school. Chances are they didn't do that well and probably got out of it because of their parent's connections. Besides, you're probably smarter than them._

"Eighth, actually." Joel replied, shifting in his seat.

"Dinner, sirs and misses!" announced a stout house elf from the door. It scurried out of view and the members of the room stood up, following Regina into the dining room.

Once they had reached it, Joel pulled out Pansy's seat next to his own. She smiled at him gratefully; sitting down at her seat and pulling herself close enough to the table.

Rodney did the same for Sadie, then pulling out Regina's chair before he seated himself. At last, dinner appeared before them and food was served.

"So Joel, do you enjoy traveling?" Pansy asked, breaking an awkward silence among the table.

"No, not really. I like to be in one place most of the time. Unless my job requires it, I'd rather not."

"Not at all? Surely you enjoy exploring new faces and sides of a world we don't know?" Pansy implored, fascinated. Who didn't like traveling?

"I'm fairly content with where I live." Joel responded casually, bringing the golden goblet to his lips and taking a small sip.

"As am I, but there are so many other places that you can explore while still being content with where you live." Pansy continued, eager to find out his thinking.

_No matter what you do, don't contradict them. They're right. Don't ask them about their likes and dislikes. What they don't like, you don't like. Who they don't like, you don't like._

"I really am not all that interested in 'exploring the world' as you put it. There is plenty to do and see right here in London." Joel continued, shifting again in his seat.

"Yes, but there's so much more to do in the world. Of course, if you're not interested…" Pansy shrugged, turning back to her food.

She glanced over at her mother who was glaring at her with such an intensity that she felt a shiver rush down her spine.

"So do you like Quidditch?" Pansy asked after another awkward silence. Joel didn't seem like much of a conversation-starter.

"I think it's barbaric, really. Racing around trying to get a silly ball through a hoop. I can't understand why anyone takes pleasure in watching it," He replied.

"But the excitement! I mean, when you've got something on it, like a fair amount of money, it gets so much better. And it might be the competition, it's all attracting," Pansy continued.

_If they comment about how foolish one person may be for liking something or enjoying something, you aren't one of those people who like it. You hate it just as he does. And also, don't mention anything masculine around them. For example, gambling?_

"It's not exciting. It's boring. And the commentators are loud and obnoxious. The worst part is when it's raining and you can't even see the players." Joel said.

"Well, the commentators usually aren't very good, but the rain makes it a bit more exciting, if you ask me. You don't know what's happening, so when something does, it makes the stakes higher. And anyway, playing in the rain is very fun." Pansy said, though definitely, _definitely_ didn't mean to say that last bit. She wasn't supposed to play Quidditch. Her mother would kill her.

She'd played with the guys all the time though.

"Of course, Pansy's never done that. She really doesn't enjoy participating in the games. She told me herself." Regina said gruffly, glancing at Joel's parents who had remained very silent the entire meal.

At last, conversation sprouted between Joel and Regina. Finally, he was off her hands.

"Tell me Pansy, was Hogwarts a good school?" Rodney questioned, almost finished with his dessert.

"Well, it was all right. Probably nothing compared to Durmstrang." Pansy replied, almost finished with her dessert as well. She deserved it after all that damn running.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Rodney said with a smile. Pansy returned it slightly, turning back to her food.

When dinner was over, the five went back to the parlor and sat in their previous seats.

"Pansy, why don't you show Joel the gardens? They've been blooming quite excessively," Regina suggested, and Pansy nodded fervently.

"Of course. Joel, would you like to see the Gardens?" Pansy asked, tilting her head just slightly to the side.

"Certainly."

"Good. Come, let me show you." Pansy said, leading him outside towards the grounds.

Luckily, they were very clean and dry so that she didn't get mucked up. Regina wouldn't appreciate that.

She began by showing him the large stock of pansies in the front. She'd always liked how the flower looked and remembered when she'd been in the hospital; it was practically everything she had received. She didn't care much for roses. They were all right, but nothing compared to a tulip or sunflower.

"I have enjoyed this evening, Pansy." Joel said, breaking the darkness's silence as they walked through the gardens.

"As have I," Pansy replied, smiling in a sickly sweet manner.

Joel stopped and Pansy did as well. He turned to her and she wondered what on Earth he was doing. Suddenly, he leant down and kissed her. She pulled away sharply.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" She barked at him, wiping off her lips.

_Do not curse around them. You're a lady. You don't curse. _

"I was kissing you." Joel said obviously, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, I realized that." Pansy nearly spat.

"What's wrong with that?"  
"I don't hardly know you! You hate traveling, despise Quidditch, and have the most boring job I've ever hard of! Why do you think I'd want to be kissing you?" She practically yelled.

"Don't you realize that we're a potential couple? A pureblood couple that will carry on the Gazelle lines?" Joel asked, growing angry.

"I don't want to ever marry you! You're boring!" She shouted at him. If her mother were to find out about this, she'd be disowned for sure.

"Good, because I certainly don't want to marry you!" Joel growled, turning and storming for the Manor.

Pansy followed, entering closely behind him. Luckily, the visiting couple was putting their coats on.

"It was lovely having you over." Regina said, smiling falsely.

"Yes, it was. I do hope I see you soon." Pansy said sarcastically as Joel narrowed his eyes, pulling his coat over his chest and walking outside without a goodbye.

Once they were out the door, Regina narrowed her eyes as well.

"What'd you do?"

"Nothing, Mother." Pansy said honestly. "I don't think it worked out."

"Do you think I care what you want? He's got pure lines! He may be your husband unless you screwed it up." Regina barked.

"I didn't, Mother. We had a small misunderstanding. I'll owl him in the morning and apologize." Pansy said, and Regina crossed her arms.

"Fine. Go on, bed." She ordered.

Pansy quietly went up to her room, flopping onto her bed. This whole pureblood betrothal idea was a lot harder to grasp than she thought it would be.


	3. Bachelor 2

The next morning, Pansy woke to a dreadful aching in her head. She brought a hand up to clamp it, the soft and silky hair not failing to surprise her again. She brushed it away, heading clumsily to the bathroom and ordering the cleaning elf to fetch her some potion. She leant over her sink, waving her hand so that her hair pulled back from her face, looking up.

Even without the makeup she was assigned to apply, she did look rather different. Her skin looked better, more colorful and as though it had the tiniest bit of natural blush on it. Since when had her skin been so smooth? Maybe it was a result of how much work this beauty thing was.

_Beauty hurts. You can handle it._

She remembered yet another line from the book. Just simple things reminded her of what that awful book had droned on about.

The little house elf popped back in with a sickly green looking potion. She downed it, ignoring the terrible taste and just forcing it down her throat.

"My bath, please," She ordered the elf and he hurried over to start the water.

She set the goblet down, performing the necessary activities to be ready for the day and then a long and soaking bath. She'd woken up early that day so she allowed herself extra time to be ready.

When she was changed into one of the robes her mother had purchased, she ran a brush through her hair and made sure it looked just as it was expected. Satisfied, she headed downstairs, oblivious to the fact that she had no makeup on. Perhaps with the observance of her skin tone, she had forgotten that none was on.

Her mother didn't seem to notice at first. The strict woman merely glanced at Pansy's appearance before going back to her breakfast. Pansy envied how her mother could keep her back so incredibly straight without realizing it and eat so mannerly that she looked as though a pie-eating contest was out of the question. Despite the money offered.

"I received an owl from the Gazelle family," Regina began primly, wiping a small area of skin around her mouth without reason to do so.

"Oh?" Pansy replied, pretending to sound interested as she sipped a drink from her goblet. Her mother looked immediately condescending at the way that Pansy was holding the expensive silver dish, so Pansy immediately shifted her handle.

"Joel did not seem interested," she continued, her dark eyes looking to her daughter with an accusatory glare.

"I s'pose we just weren't right for each other. A common happening in the wizarding world," Pansy attempted to cover up for herself, the wrongs she had committed, but wasn't doing all that great of a job.

"That had better be all, Pansy."

"It is, Mother," she assured her, finishing breakfast without another word but the occasional 'pass the salt'.

When their plates had been cleared, Regina stood and set her napkin carefully on the table. It looked just as clean as it had been before breakfast.

"Friday evening, a young man by the name of Steven Reynolds will be visiting the Manor with his parents. I hope you do not fail to impress them this time," Regina announced clearly, gliding from the room before Pansy could respond.

"Oh, Mother!" Pansy called, following the proper lady from the room and into the sitting room.

"What is it?"

"Millicent… Millicent Bullstrode, you remember, has invited me to attend her home for tea one day. I'd like to catch up with her, and I will dutifully finish that book when I return," Pansy began, hoping to convince her mother with a promise of completion.

"Bullstrode… Plump girl, yes?" Regina asked in an aloof way that made Pansy's fists tighten.

"Yes, Mother," Pansy replied with a short dip of her head.

"Very well. Let me know when it is scheduled for," Regina responded, waving her hand to whisk them off and turning back to the _Daily Prophet_.

Pansy grinned beyond herself, gliding from the room and only bounding up the stairs when the door to the sitting room shut.

Once in her room, she retrieved a sheet of parchment and a quill, quickly dipping it in ink and beginning her letter to Millicent.

_Millie,_

_Mother has agreed! I can come over for tea some day this week. Just so long as it's not Friday. I will be busy stuffing myself so I don't seem too full for my next bachelor. I'll fill you in over tea. Is tomorrow at noon good for you?_

_Love,_

_Pansy_

She sealed it sloppily, sending it off with her owl and pulling out the dreaded book. The more she finished today, the less she'd have to finish tomorrow.

It was only ten minutes later that she tossed the book down and moved to her closet. Inside it was her trunk from her school days. Bored, she pulled it out and opened it, retrieving a smaller box inside of it full to the brim of moving pictures.

The first was of Millicent and Vincent, smiling and Crabbe's arm around her shoulders. Despite the fact that Millicent lacked in the appearance subject and Crabbe lacked in the common sense subject, they were perfect for each other.

Sometimes, she wished she had what they had. They adored each other and their parents were happy the two were pureblood and marrying.

There were a few of Millicent being silly and a few of Vince and Greg being absolute morons. They'd always been a source of entertainment in dull times.

The next was of Pansy, Millicent, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Vince, Greg, and a few other students she couldn't quite remember the names of. They were all looking rather silly.

Pansy almost cringed as she saw herself. Her hair had been chopped roughly and was looking like it hadn't been brushed in days. Her nose was sticking up and she noticed how bad it had once looked. So much that when she smiled, she was practically exposing her nostrils to the watching public. She'd been a tad pudgy then, or so it looked, compared to how much weight she'd lost.

She had her arm around Draco and Blaise, while Millicent and Crabbe were holding hands. The others were just smiling and pointing at Pansy like she'd done something wrong.

Pansy had been so happy then. Everything was fun. She didn't care about what people thought nor was she forced to do so. She just wanted to see Millicent and be with someone. It'd been months since she'd had a proper time to see someone from the sane world.

Slytherins had always been stereotyped as cruel, heartless idiots who had fun making fun of people. It wasn't entirely true. They were cruel, heartless, and enjoyed making fun of people when it came to Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, or Ravenclaws. But around each other, they were just a bunch of kids enjoying the time they had.

So many of the houses had been biased against them, always blaming the school attacks on Draco or another one of the Slytherins. She had ignored it because they wouldn't find any proof.

What killed her was the thought that a lot of her friends were probably Death Eaters. They might die, and it wasn't even their fault. Pure blood had it's deficiencies as well.

The next morning, Pansy yet again did not apply any makeup. She did, however, do her hair as she was told and dress as her mother would be expecting her to. Once ready and satisfied that she didn't look too much different. All right, well, she did. But she wasn't about to admit it.

After receiving her mother's approval, she apparated to the address given to her by Millicent in the reply. After a few swift knocks on the door and a couple moments of standing on the step, Millicent opened the door.

The girl had lost some weight that much was obvious. She still wasn't gorgeous, but she had slimmed considerably.

Millicent merely gasped, her jaw agape as she gave Pansy twice-overs, examining how different her friend looked.

"Pansy!" Millicent cried, hugging the frail girl with every ounce of might she had. That nearly crushed Pansy, and she had to finally push Millicent off her and catch her breath.

"Still haven't got a hold of your strength, I see," Pansy pointed out with a grin, stepping inside after allowed in by Millicent and examining the home. It was a nice place, nothing that Pansy could imagine living in but certainly nice.

"Not quite," Millicent said quietly. "You look awful different."

"Good or bad?" Pansy questioned with a mischievous little smile.

"Excellent. You're a _Witch Weekly_ cover, or better," Millie continued, leading her into the parlor where Vincent Crabbe was reading the newspaper.

"Hi dear," He said without looking up.

"Vince, we've got a guest," Millicent stated clearly, glancing at Pansy with a wild little grin.

Crabbe looked up, sporting the same expression that Millicent had at the door.

"Parkinson?" He nearly gasped, standing up.

"I thought we'd discussed this. It's Pansy," she told him with a smirk, and he scratched his head sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said, and she noted as he brought his hand away that his hair had grown quite a bit.

"I'll let it slide," Pansy said, sitting down in one of the seats.

"You told me looked different, but Pansy, you really look different. I mean, you're gorgeous," Millicent continued as the house elf poured them tea.

"Mother forced it on me," Pansy explained. "I suppose I like it, but it's a bit like being under a mask."

"Your mother's never been quite as sane as she thinks she is," Vince said through a mouthful of scone, causing Millicent to toss him a look. He blushed immediately, swallowing.

Millicent had that sort of control over people.

"You've slimmed," Millicent pointed out, glancing at the robe which hugged her now slim curves.

"As have you," Pansy responded, smiling at Millie. It was in the Bullstrode's genes to be rather large, but Millicent was about half the size of any of the members in her family.

Millicent just grinned knowingly, buttering her scone. "So tell me about this Joel Gazelle."

Pansy jumped into the story of events, about the rules she'd broken, about the less than interesting chat with him, and the meeting in the Gardens.

"What an arse," Vince muttered as she finished.

"Honestly. I bet your mom flipped," Millicent responded to the awful tale, her tea growing cold.

"Well, not quite. They sent her an owl saying Joel wasn't interested. I don't think she cared that much. He didn't like travel, Quidditch, or any of that. Maybe she has some good in her, after all," Pansy replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"We'll see about that," Millie said. "So have you seen any of the guys recently?"

"No. You two are the first people I've seen away from my mother, a crazed Russian surgeon, and a cosmetologist," Pansy explained with a groan, imagining that Crabbe was a Death Eater as his father was.

"I've seen them around in Diagon Alley. Draco's opening a shop. He said his parents went hostile when he told them, but he's making a huge profit, so I don't think they mind. Besides, they've got all that money anyway. Now that they're not contributing to any…dark…things. They spent a good half of it getting Lucius out of prison, from what I hear," Millicent explained.

"Wait…Draco isn't a Death Eater?" Pansy said quietly as if someone would hear them. She didn't feel awkward asking this of her because she knew Millicent would tell her.

"Are you mad?" Vince sputtered, just managing to swallow his juice.

"Borderline," Pansy muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Is that a no?"

"Don't you read the _Prophet_, Pansy?" Millicent asked incredulously, sharing a bewildered glance with her fiancé.

"Not for a few months," Pansy replied, feeling oblivious as to why they kept looking at each other and what exactly she was missing out on.

"Surely someone's told you!" Millicent nearly exclaimed. "Potter killed You-Know-Who about a month ago!"

Pansy's eyes went wide, wider than usual, and her jaw dropped. It was her turn to be surprised.

"Honestly? It's all over?" Pansy gasped.

"All over, Pans. I can't believe your Mum didn't tell you. She always used to read the paper. Nearly every day," Millicent told her, still in disbelief.

"She does read it every day. I can't believe it!" Pansy exclaimed. "It's over… Did anyone die?"

Millicent and Crabbe exchanged knowing looks again. Pansy felt a wave of cold rush over her. This was going to be bad, she could feel it.

"Yes. Quite a few."

"Who?" Pansy sputtered, hoping to Merlin it wasn't any of her friends.

"Snape, for one. Rookwood, Mr. Goyle, and both those Lestranges," Millicent began. "Some of Potter's side died too, but no one we can rejoice about."

"Snape? That's terrible…" Pansy muttered, looking down at her tea.

"Yeah, it is. He betrayed You-Know-Who years ago so the whole crew's been out to get him. Any Death Eaters caught at the scene were arrested, but the guys are fine, if you were worried."

"Thank Merlin…" Pansy muttered, crossing her arms over her lap. "So what's the name of this shop Draco has?"

"Malfoy Supplies. Quidditch shop, big surprise," Millicent grinned, snapping her fingers so that the tea steamed again.

Pansy smiled. Draco had always been a bit of a nutter for Quidditch. Not so much that you couldn't get him to shut his trap about it, but somewhat. It wasn't surprising he opened a shop. He'd spent near all of seventh year examining and observing brooms and broom products. It had been a sick obsession.

The rest of the teatime, the friends spoke of memories from school. The stupid things they did appeared most frequently in conversation and Crabbe left sometime around two so Millicent could tell her all about the exciting engagement.

When the clock struck six and Pansy knew she had plenty of reading to do before going to sleep, she bade Millicent and Vincent goodbye, apparating away from the doorstep and back home.

"Enjoy yourself?" Regina snapped once Pansy walked into the door where she stood at the staircase.

"I am really sorry for being late, Mother. It was not my intention," Pansy told her honestly.

"Go upstairs and don't you come back down until you're done with that book," Regina ordered, stomping off into the library while Pansy headed up to her room.

Once inside, she slipped off her shoes and lay down on her bed, busying herself with reading.

Two hours later, she was quite a bit farther but having a lot of trouble staying focused. Her blankets had been ruffled now from the morning from her tossing and turning so much, trying to get comfortable.

At last, she had just changed into her silk pajamas but fallen asleep before she could read another word.

Friday came far too quickly. She was woken early by her mother to take a good, long bath and be sure to eat a fair amount.

"Mother?" Pansy began was they ate breakfast,

"What is it?"

"How come you never told me You-Know-Who was dead?" Pansy asked quietly, afraid of upsetting her mother.

"I imagined you knew. Everybody knew. I thought you'd be writing all your friends and they'd know," Regina explained with a small shrug.

"Oh," Pansy said quietly, staring at her porridge. She hadn't received any letters from the guys. She knew she ought to owl them, but what would she say?

'Oh, and I've all the sudden had surgery and lost too much weight for my own good.' She shuddered inwardly at the thought. They wouldn't care.

At seven o'clock when the Reynolds arrived, Pansy was standing in her room, staring at herself in the mirror. She couldn't sit in fear of ruffling her dress just yet, and she didn't want to since a house elf would be popping in any second.

She looked perfect. A fitting dress that was annoyingly low cut and her hair pulled into an expertly elegant bun with small ringlet curls hanging down either side of her face, complimenting her features.

"She's upstairs. One moment. Elf, fetch Pansy."

Pansy heard her mother's voice from downstairs and once more smoothed her dress, taking a deep breath. This one could be the one she was to marry.

"Mistress?"

An elf poked his head in the door, looking scared for his life.

"Yes, thank you," Pansy muttered, a little shocked that she'd thanked an elf but shook it off. When she reached the top of the stairs, she moved down them, her dress rippling perfectly with every step taken.

When she reached the bottom, her date looked thoroughly pleased and satisfied.

"Ms. Parkinson," he began as she held out her hand. "Steven Reynolds."

"Pansy," she told him as he kissed the back of her hand before she hooked it in the crook of his elbow.

"Shall we move onto the sitting room?" Regina asked sweetly, leading them into the comfortable room and waiting until all were seated before speaking.

"Pansy, these are my parents, Donald and Cassandra Reynolds," Steven said, waving his hand in the way of his parents, who nodded grimly.

"Pleasure," Pansy said, glancing at her Mother who nodded simply.

"So, Steven, what school did you attend?" Pansy questioned, reusing her previous starter for conversation.

"Beauxbatons. I trust you went to Hogwarts," Steven assumed, focusing his gaze on her.

"Quite correct. Although I've heard Beauxbatons is a fascinating school," Pansy commented as if that was what she really thought. Honestly, she knew very little about the French school.

"It was. Though I did wish I could've attended Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. I was a month too young," he explained, shrugging off events of the past.

Pansy nodded simply. She had never been exceedingly strong in Defense Against the Dark Arts and wouldn't have won against Krum anyway. She was actually scared to death of that competition. She had just been happy with the fact that they were too young, even if the others were upset with it.

There was an awkward silence before the same house elf she had thanked earlier slipped inside the room, clutching the end of his tea towel in one bony hand.

"Dinner, sirs and misses," the house elf squeaked, hurrying from the room in a second's time.

"Let us go into the dining room," Regina announced with a smile, standing up as the four others followed, arms linked only out of chivalry.

Steven pulled the chair out for Pansy, while Donald Reynolds pulled out both seats for the two women.

She had a very distinct reminder of the previous date she had had. Hopefully, this one would turn out much better. She tried to remember the questions she'd asked Joel and a few of them came to mind.

"What is your career?" She questioned as the first course appeared on the plates. Pansy's was a tad smaller than everyone else's, and she cast a quick glance at her mother.

"I work in the ink industries. I'm sure you use _Tekka_ ink," Steven replied, and Pansy somewhat remembered seeing that name on her ink one day not long ago when she had been racking her brain for something to write on her end-of-the-year exams.

"Certainly. It's efficient," Pansy said, hoping to Merlin that that was the ink he produced.

"Good. I've never heard an answer less," Steven explained, and Pansy sighed quietly in relief.

There was an awkward silence, only filled by silverware lightly touching plates. Manners were not to clank your eating instruments into your plate.

"So, what sort of activities do you enjoy?" Pansy asked, hoping to keep a lid on her mouth this time instead of ragging on about how great traveling and Quidditch were.

"Oh, nothing too interesting. Sports, Arithmancy, and a few other things," Steven explained with a shrug.

Pansy was only shocked at Arithmancy. How could anyone actually enjoy that subject? She'd taken it and been so bored the entire time that she had to have fallen asleep six or seven times in that class a week.

"Pansy scored very high in Arithmancy in school," Regina popped in. So she had made Outstanding grades. But she had still hated it.

"Oh? I've heard the teacher at Hogwarts is very good," Steven commented, and Pansy nodded simply.

Regina sprung into conversation with Steven over the subject. She'd always loved the subject and Steven easily talked with her about it. Donald and Cassandra were politely eating and Pansy took the time to nibble a few bites, not too hungry.

Another awkward silence filled the room after Regina had finished discussing velocity of something or other with Steven.

Only a few words were spoken about Beauxbatons and Hogwarts over the rest of the meal. Pansy ate only about half before the elves took away the plates and replaced them with a cup of delicious-looking mousse.

"Your elves cook excellently, Regina," Ronald said as he took a bite, swallowing it and heading in for another.

"It didn't come cheap, either," Regina followed, and Cassandra laughed politely.

Another silence. This was getting very awkward. Pansy ate her mousse, glancing over at Steven who looked just as contented with the silence as anyone else at the table. Was she the only one feeling stupid?

When they'd finished their desserts, conversation began between Regina and Steven's parents. At this time, Steven turned to Pansy, taking a glance out the window.

"Err," Pansy began, realizing how inarticulate she sounded in half a second. "Would you like to see some of the Grounds?" Her mother cast a satisfied glance at Pansy.

"Certainly," Steven replied, standing up and following Pansy out the back door and into the Grounds.

Here they were. Back on that annoying stone path. She sighed, remembering the past experiences she'd had on this bloody road.

Steven started talking about ink and how difficult the industry was, despite how easy it sounded. She tuned him out, laughing respectively when she heard a tone in his voice that suggested he was making a joke and nodded when he looked to her to see if she was paying attention.

The pansies in the gardens were reflecting the magic-induced light at them as they carried on. She felt almost like falling asleep and was relieved when they took a seat on one of the stone benches.

"That's probably the hardest part," Steven finished, and Pansy nodded, forcing a false smile onto her face.

"I can't believe I ever expected it to be at all simple," Pansy said in response, and Steven's chest huffed slightly. "So, do you travel?"

"Often, actually. Most recently was to Scotland," Steven said and Pansy nodded again. She wished she could go back to Scotland. It was great there.

She'd only been there once during the summer after fifth year. It had been enchanting and really quite exciting.

Steven bounded into another ink tale.

_'He's so boring,'_ Pansy thought to herself, pretending to listen again. He was moving his hands wildly to illustrate the story. And when a large, obnoxious belly laugh escaped him, Pansy forced a laugh that sounded convincing enough to satisfy him.

_'And he has such odd hair,'_ Pansy thought again as she surveyed his roughly chopped hair that looked like it had been clipped by a blind muggle.

"Something on my face?" He asked after he'd finished talking and Pansy had been staring at his head for a moment.

"Oh, no, nothing," Pansy said with a grin.

"Everything all right?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Fine, just _fine_," Pansy said, though it was so obvious that she was lying, which was unusual for her.

"You're sure? You seemed a bit quiet in dinner."

Her? Quiet? They'd been the quiet ones! She'd been trying to start conversation and failing. Plus, he'd been droning on about Arithmancy with her mom for a quarter of an hour.

"Well," Pansy began, fully prepared to lie much better, "my mother and I got in a row earlier. I suppose I haven't fully recovered."

"Ah," Steven said sympathetically, patting her shoulder. "I'm sure it will all mend up soon enough."

_"Maybe if she wasn't being such a prat about my husband,"_ Pansy thought, though clasped her hand tightly over her mouth when she realized she had said that aloud.

"About your husband?" Steven questioned, looking confused.

She sighed, knowing that it was all about to unfold. She didn't want to tell him about how her mother was forcing her to date these guys she had never met and how she felt so degraded while she read that book. Why couldn't she marry for love? How come in school she'd never met anyone worth it?

She started crying without realizing it. Steven looked scared. No, not scared, frightened for his life.

"What's wrong? What are you doing?" Steven gasped, standing up as Pansy broke into full-out sobs on the bench.

She cleared herself up after a moment, but seeing the effect it was having on Steven, she forced out fake crying. It sounded like she was delirious.

"Don't cry, don't cry!" He tried, gripping her shoulders.

Pansy just increased it. In a moment, Steven was running like wildfire from the Gardens.

She sat out on the bench for a good ten minutes until the Reynolds all apparated off the porch step after politely saying goodbye to Regina.

"PANSY!"

Pansy sighed, knowing she'd be in huge trouble for this. She shouldn't have scared him off like that. But how else was she supposed to get rid of him?

"Yes, Mum?" Pansy asked innocently as she stood up, brushing off her gown and walking timidly to her mother who was waiting inside the parlor.

She looked angry. Her arms were folded across her stomach so tightly, Pansy was worried that she would soon not be able to breath. Her eyes were narrowed and her pouty lips (which were identical to Pansy's) were pursed together and she was biting her lower one. Her legs were crossed and the one on the floor was thumping loudly.

"He came in here, going on about how you were suddenly hysterical!" Regina practically shouted, popping up from her seat.

"I just…" Pansy attempted to intervene but failed.

"He was smart! Smart and rich and had a long life of good fortune ahead of him! He could've been your husband!" Regina began her lecture, her cheeks flushed with fury. "He was everything you could've needed and you tossed it away!"

"He was everything you wanted me to have! Not everything I needed or wanted! I want someone who's not boring and who's not Steven Reynolds!" Pansy bit back, tearing out of the room in a flash, collapsing on her bed and burying her face in the pillow. She really didn't fight with her mom that often, seeing as the Pansy was scared to death of the woman.

Author's Notes: Thanks for the kind reviews! I hope this chapter suffices for the moment because I assure you that a very interesting chapter will come next. Well, R&R!


	4. Bachelor 3

She had practically dug her own grave for herself by that mistake with Steven. He wasn't _that_ bad, was he? She could've lived with him. Besides, he'd be off doing his own thing and she could get used to his annoying lectures about ink, of all things.

The next morning, she'd waken to see that she'd slept in her clothes and that her owl was missing from its cage. And after she rubbed her eyes a few times to ensure clarity, seen that all her books were replaced with slightly-used dull looking books. Her eyes widened. In a flash, she had hopped from her bed and rushed to her desk. Her letters were missing.

Her mother had to have seen what she'd written about her to Millicent and what her good friend had written back.

Not bothering to change, put on makeup, or even run a comb through her hair, she bolted down the steps and into the kitchen, where her mother sat. She was reading the newspaper like a normal individual, eating a scone and patiently looking up at Pansy as she entered.

"Where's Athena?" Pansy questioned her mother. She didn't actually need the expensive owl at the moment, but she wanted to know where she was.

"She's away for a while," Regina responded without looking at her daughter still. She sounded cool and confident, like nothing had happened. She scooted a piece of paper across the table and Pansy wearily lifted it.

It was a letter from Steven Reynolds. Just. Great.

_Mrs. and Ms. Parkinson,_

_The evening was pleasurable until the very end. I am afraid to say that I have arranged an engagement with someone else. My sincerest apologies to you both._

_Steven Reynolds_

Her troubles multiplied by ten at that moment. She set the letter back down just as her mother finished the scone, standing up and looking at her daughter's appearance.

"How long has it been since you've run?" she asked, acting as if she was fine about it.

"Two days," Pansy admitted, wringing her hands together.

"You had better catch up. You know what they say. A missed day is worth four missed days," Regina said with a sickly false smile. "Obviously, you'll have to do eight times more than usual."

Pansy's mouth gaped. Eight times? She would collapse! But she shouldn't have yelled at her mother the night before and was definitely not planning on doing it now.

In a state of shock, she hurried upstairs and changed. Once outside, she started at a comfortable pace, slower than usual. Running was quite possibly the most boring activity ever made. One just circles an area for a given time. If there was something other than the dull surroundings, it may have been all right.

She did the regular mile, realizing she had to do eight more and slowing considerably. She was basically walking with her feet picking up.

"TEN!"

She turned to the screeching voice, seeing her mother peering her head out the door with a scowl on her face.

Ten miles? And she though she'd collapse from eight. Speeding up to an impossible pace, she waited until her mother was out of view and then walked.

At last, she'd finished, her mother's head poking out the whole time. She was so worn out; she felt like she hadn't slept at all the night before and the day had already passed.

"You've got plenty to do, Pansy," Regina assured her once the very sweaty and exhausted girl entered the house again.

"Shouldn't I take a bath first?" She suggested hopefully, brushing hair from her eyes.

"Oh, fine, but hurry," Regina ordered and Pansy nodded, walking gracefully upstairs despite her weakness and coming downstairs later when she had bathed and changed.

"We're going to practice," her mother explained once Pansy was in the parlor.

"Practice?" Pansy questioned, worried

"You obviously have not accomplished how to treat a man and how to keep a man. Today, you will learn and you will master it."

She felt her limbs weaken considerably. How was she going to practice how to treat a man? She had several books to tell her how already.

"Sit," Regina barked.

Pansy obeyed, sitting down wearily but managing to not look it. Her mother looked to Pansy, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

She had the feeling that it meant, _'laugh at me and you'll get twenty laps'._ Pansy gulped quietly, wringing her hands together again.

There was a long, awkward silence in which Regina just stared expectantly at her daughter.

"Err…" Pansy began inarticulately.

"Say something! Pretend I'm the next guy you will be meeting," Regina sputtered, looking as though her daughter should have known.

Pansy's face heated up quickly. How was she supposed to pretend that her mother was a boy she didn't want to be with?

"Oh… What school did you attend?" She muttered, wringing her hands together in her lap.

"Durmstrang," Regina replied in a deep voice that made Pansy bite her lip. So that's why she wasn't supposed to laugh at her. Her mother was imitating a man.

"A fine school," Pansy finally replied after a pause in which she inflicted pain on her lip in order to not burst into impolite giggles.

"I assume you went to Hogwarts," Regina continued, and Pansy felt her face heat up uncomfortably. She had to laugh. She _had_ to laugh.

"Yes," Pansy finally squeaked, biting her lip again and tasting the blood inside her mouth.

"Forget it!" Regina finally cried, shooting up from the couch. She glared momentarily at her daughter before brushing out creases in her robes. "You had better impress Mr. Yitel Saturday evening."

"Mr. Yitel?" Pansy asked, standing up and also brushing creases from her robes.

"Yes, Senus Yitel. I trust you will treat him better than you have me," her mother insisted, sticking her nose into the air and leaving the room.

So she already had another date. She sighed once her mother left the room, heading upstairs to do absolutely nothing all day.

However, when she arrived upstairs, she saw an owl there. It wasn't Athena, it was Millicent's owl. If her mother walked in, she'd be dead. Absolutely dead.

_Pansy,_

_Think you can come to the wedding? Just curious. I've got to finish up this list soon so I can organize the wedding and reception. I do hope you can come. Of course, your mother's invited, but you don't have to tell her that. So has your mother arranged any more dates for you yet? Let me know._

_Love,_

_Millie_

Pansy sighed, setting the letter down and ordering the owl in a whisper to remain in her room until she had replied. She badly wanted to go to the wedding, but asking at the moment was to get her nowhere. She had to act refined at this upcoming date. Or else she had no chance.

_Millicent,_

_I'm not sure. I made a mockery of my last date, Steven Reynolds. I scared him off by pretending to be hysterical in the Gardens. Mother was furious. I've got another date with somebody named Senus Yitel this Saturday. If it goes well, I'm sure I'll be able to come to the wedding._

_Oh, and Mother's taken my owl away as a punishment for ruining my date with Steven. So I'm not sure when I'll have the RSVP to you._

_With Love,_

_Pansy_

She sent it off with Millicent's owl, creeping downstairs and into the library. Her mother had taken away her books but not restricted her entrance into the library. She spent most of the day in there until dinnertime.

Saturday came around soon enough. Pansy had read a little bit of the books left for her but was dreadfully unimpressed by her mother's idea of a well-written book.

She had chosen a teal dress for that evening. It was bought by her mother and luckily not as low-cut as the usual ones. It was still annoyingly tight, though it ruffled out in a flowing way at the lower half.

This time, her date was not coming with his parents. Apparently, they'd died at the hands of Voldemort and now he was left with more money than he knew what to do with. Besides that, he was pureblood and from what her mother had said, handsome. He was expected to arrive at seven and dinner was to be ready by 7:30.

She had gone over what she planned to talk about with him in her head. She had to make this go well if she wanted to go to Millicent's wedding. She owed it to her, after all, since she'd been so distant.

So far, Pansy had come up with school, Quidditch, traveling, the Ministry, house elves, and then led him outside as she had her previous dates. If he tried to kiss her, she'd have to let him, but hopefully pull away soon enough without making him mad or making him raise his temper. And if he was boring, she'd have to live with it.

When the doorbell rang, Pansy waited patiently at the seat to her vanity, examining her appearance. She looked especially different tonight, experimenting (successfully) with lighter, blending makeup and her hair up with wisps of curls hanging down elegantly on either side. Her shoes were heels, despite her hate for the pain that came afterwards, and she had chosen gloves for her arms. Well, she hadn't chosen them, her mother had, but they made her look more elegant.

When the house elf entered, Pansy nodded simply and walked to the stairs. She paused as directed, heading down them and looking to the man in the entry way.

He was handsome. With a clean shaven face and brown hair, carefully cut and not chopped at all roughly. He was dressed nicely too, in dress robes of black that suited his appearance nicely.

She smiled politely at him once she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Pansy Parkinson," he began his voice low and husky.

"Mr. Yitel," Pansy responded politely, holding out her hand and expecting him to grab it.

"Senus," he corrected, lifting her hand to his lips and brushing the back of the gloves to them before allowing it back to her side.

She merely dipped her head and Regina stepped in, starting into conversation with Senus as she led him into the parlor. It was getting to be a boring, repetitive room for every date she had.

Once they had been seated, Senus turned to Pansy.

"A rather exquisite home you have," he complimented dryly, in a way that suggested to Pansy he was a darker sort of man.

"Thank you, Senus. I'm simply lucky to welcome you to it," Pansy replied in a dignified manner, her lips turning slightly towards a grin.

"I should be thanking you for the opportunity, Pansy. I must say, your robes are rather pleasant," he continued, and Pansy smiled grimly.

"And your robes are splendid as well."

Regina jumped into the conversation now, discussing clothing with Senus and how one could not be sure that their clothing was worth it unless it had a certain feel to it. Senus seemed to be agreeing politely, and Pansy was distracted by the gloves. She was beginning to hate them.

"Dinner."

A house elf announced in a squeaky tone as it popped its head in the doorway. Pansy glanced at the clock, seeing it at about 7:10. Early. Regina would not be happy about that.

However, they stood and entered the dining room, seating themselves with Senus and Pansy next to each other and Regina across from them.

"What school did you attend, Senus?" Pansy asked once she had taken a sip of the wine in the goblet.

"Hogwarts, actually," Senus replied, and Pansy tilted her head to the side.

"As did I. I don't remember you."

"I believe I was in seventh year in your third. I don't expect you to remember. I wasn't in the common room much, nor was I around in the Great Hall much. I had other destinations," Senus explained, and Pansy didn't bother asking what those other destinations were.

"Oh," Pansy replied, feeling stupid. So he was four years older than her, about 23? That wasn't too bad. He didn't seem all that old anyway.

"Surely you didn't play Quidditch," Pansy continued, eager for information. "I don't remember your name being called."

"I was never any good at the sport," Senus admitted. "Though I did attend the games every chance I had."

"Oh," Pansy said simply. She was at a loss. What was it she had planned to talk with him about? "Do you travel often?"

"Frequently, yes," Senus said with a nod. "I work as a translator for the Minister."

"Oh? You're bilingual?"

"I can speak fluently in French. A bit in German, but very little," Senus replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Pansy nodded, taking a bite of her food as her mother sprang into conversation about France. She'd always loved the place, having taken Pansy there on numerous Christmas vacations to visit.

Once she was nearly done with her meal, a house elf cleared the plates. She didn't mind, seeing as she wasn't all that hungry from her large lunch earlier that day.

Dessert was served, and the two talked easily about Hogwarts mainly. They both had strongly disliked McGonogall. Though not a word was spoken of Snape. He was dead, after all. Nobody wanted to dwell on memories like that.

"Would you like to see the Gardens?" Pansy asked politely, visioning what to talk about while they were outside.

"Actually," Senus began, "it's raining. Perhaps a tour of the home?"

She felt a bit stupid now. She hadn't even been the one to suggest it, but it sounded like a perfect substitute.

"I've got some owls to send out," Regina stated, standing up and bidding goodbye before disappearing from the room.

Pansy nodded, standing up and taking Senus's proffered arm.

First, she showed him the art gallery, the library, some old rooms containing artifacts and such. Senus seemed mildly intrigued by each of them. Once the middle floor had been covered basically, she led him upstairs.

"What's in here?" Senus asked innocently as he stood in front of her door, turning to Pansy with a brow raised.

"My room," Pansy explained, fully ready to show him the glass room, but he had opened her door.

"A marvelous color," Senus said, walking in.

Pansy didn't really want him in there, but followed, hoping his tour would be just as short as the other rooms had been. But he shut the door once she was in there.

"You seem to have a lot of privacy in here."

She looked around simply, wishing he'd light one of the lanterns. Her wand was downstairs, after all.

She turned to try and light one but his hand grasped her arm, stopping her. She gasped lightly in surprise and turned to him.

"What're you doing?" She asked curiously, but he pulled her closer by her arm.

He didn't reply. Instead, he roughly grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss. He bit her lip painfully, causing her to taste her own blood. His kiss moved to her neck, easily making it hurt and forming a red mark.

"Stop," Pansy whispered quietly.

He didn't. He pushed her down and she hit her head on the dresser with a loud 'thud'. Her eyes closed. This couldn't be happening. This _wasn't_ happening.  
His hand closed around the front of her dress, pulling it off with one strong rip, tearing it and tossing it carelessly away.

"Don't make a sound," he instructed, moving in to kiss her painfully again as his hand roamed down to her chest, ripping off her bra and tossing it aside as nonchantly as the dress.

She whimpered painfully, not meaning to but unable to stop. It hurt. He snatched off her knickers in half a second and had his pants unbuttoned and lowered to his knees.

She was a virgin. He couldn't do this. She wasn't supposed to lose her innocence yet. Not until she was married… No…

Her eyes had opened now, wide and fearful, brimming with tears. She tried to push him off with her arms and kicked at him with her legs, but he slapped her roughly across the cheek, one of his nails cutting it.

She felt tears rushing down her cheek with the pain that resembled a dozen needles pushing into her skin.

He pushed down his boxers, not wasting any time before he forced himself into her. She screamed aloud as a blood mixture pooled around her as he thrusted himself into her with such a speed that she began sobbing and screaming.

"STOP! STOP! GET OFF ME!" She cried hopelessly, beating at his chest until he smacked her again, snatching her wrists and holding them with one powerful hand as he continued into her, ignoring her weak and hopeless screams into the room.

"Mr. Yitel."

It wasn't Pansy. She stopped her sobbing, taking sharp intakes of breath. Her mother was standing there in the doorway, her hands clasped together in front of her.

"I believe it is time you go. Please stop by tomorrow," Regina said simply.

Senus smirked, pulling away from her and pulling his pants back up, buckling them and leaving the room with a whirl of his cloak.

Pansy was beyond relief. She felt such an intense pain in the lower half of her body. Her legs were numb and shaking. Blood had pooled around her and her cheek was stinging from his slaps.

She was just beginning to think her mother wasn't all that bad when another boney hand with much longer nails collided with her cheek.

"You stupid girl," Regina snapped, tossing her a blanket and grabbing her by the wrist, forcing her to her feet. Her eyes blazed and her teeth were baring menacingly.

Pansy merely stared, wide-eyed, at her mother. Her cheek burned and blood slipped down it. That was the least of her worries, however.

"When a man hits you, offer him ice and a cold brandy. You do _not_ tell him to stop. You do NOT defy him! Do you understand me?" Regina barked.

Pansy remained speechless. Her eyes were still wide and her breath was coming out in short gasps.

"PANSY! Do you understand me?" She barked again, tightening her grip around Pansy's wrist.

"Yes, mother," Pansy gulped, biting back tears.

"Clean yourself up and go to bed," Regina told her clearly. "Tomorrow, you will apologize to Senus and the mistake you made will not have happened. I will send a house elf in to clean up."

Pansy nodded simply, sniffling and letting out another choked sob. Once her mother left the room, she stood there incredulously for a bit before preparing herself a bath.

While soaking in the burning hot water, she closed her eyes, letting her hair sink into it and only allowing her nose above.

She felt like she could give it up just then and nobody would miss her. Obviously, her mother really liked Senus, meaning she was bound to end up marrying him. She'd lost her virginity against her will and her whole body was aching as if someone was constantly smashing a hammer into it.

She stayed under for what seemed like hours before lifting her head, staring at the expensively painted wall before her. She couldn't give up yet. Millicent had to get married. She _had _to be able to go. If she wasn't allowed, she'd be extremely upset. More so than she already was, that is.

Pulling herself out of the water, she dried herself off and wrapped the towel around her, moving to the mirror. Black was streaming down her face, which was cut up from the three slaps she had received that night.

Hurriedly, she brought a cloth up to wipe off her face, leaving the cuts and her hair dripping down her towel and arms.

Without bothering to use a drying spell, she slipped into her pajamas and into her bed, ignoring the noise of the house elf cleaning the carpet up as she drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.

_Author's Note: Eh? Poor Pansy… I promise Draco will come in to the next chapter, for you eager reviewers. There will be several more chapters in the future. Enjoy!_


	5. Old Friends

When she woke the next morning, her whole body ached. It felt like every time she moved, a thousand pound anvil was being dropped carelessly onto her. It hurt worse than the pain the night before, which was astounding, since that was already painful enough.

She looked over to the clock, expecting it to be early since her mother had not wakened her yet. But it was nearly ten, and she could've hopped from bed in shock if she wasn't in so much pain.

Slowly, she pulled herself from the bed to be met by an elf standing before her, holding a vial of electric blue liquid shakily in his hands. Pansy assumed this was for the pain given graciously by her mother and took it, downing it rapidly to avoid the taste.

It took a moment to settle in, but she felt her body refresh and rejuvenate. Still the slightest of tinges in her as she walked, but nothing she couldn't ignore.

After carefully cleaning up and applying the needed makeup, she leaned against her vanity counter, sighing. It had all happened so fast, and it wasn't supposed to. She detested Senus, but obviously something about him had made her mother want to invite him to come by. Hopefully he wouldn't and just write a letter stating he wasn't interested. Even if her mother was to be mad, it was better than Senus Yitel.

Her mother's words had stung her deep, especially one line.

"_When a man hits you, offer him ice and a cold brandy."_

It made her wonder what experience her mother had with being hit. Her father had been a fairly gentle man, never the one to hurt his wife despite how much he had loathed her. Perhaps she had been previously married. It was not uncommon for a woman to be married twice if she was widowed. Her mother had never said a word about it though.

She picked out a dress, one of her least favorite but among her mother's favorites. After slipping it on, she sat down for a moment, wishing painfully that she had Millicent here. She felt like crying, but wouldn't will herself to do so. She had to be strong. For her own sake.

Deciding she was hungrier than anything, she walked downstairs and into the kitchen, seeing it empty without even the paper sitting on the table.

"Mother?" She called out as a house elf brought her breakfast and heated it magically with his fingers.

"Pansy, do come in the parlor!" Responded her mother, and Pansy sighed, heading into it, well aware of her hunger.

When she walked in, she saw that Regina was not alone. Senus was with her.

"Ah, Pansy, good morning," he greeted, a smile on his features, acting like nothing had happened.

She remained silent, finding herself speechless. She was scared of him.

"Certainly you're hungry," Senus continued, seemingly oblivious to the fear that was showing in her eyes.

She nodded quickly, taking a step back.

"I… I'll go eat breakfast," she suggested, leaving the room before anyone could reply and heading back into the kitchen where she sat down, her hunger having left her.

Instead of Senus, Regina entered the room, seating herself at the table next to her.

"I need to speak with you, Pansy," she began, folding her hands carefully in her lap. It made Pansy want to scowl, had she not known better.

"Yes?" She urged her on, cutting up the breakfast carefully.

"I have arranged an engagement between you and Senus. I see it only fit. You will have a check-up at St. Mungo's later this afternoon," Regina explained, causing Pansy to drop her fork.

"An engagement?" She sputtered eyes wide. "I can't get married!"

"Did you not realize the purpose of this whole dating idea?" Regina snapped back, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Of course… Why do I have a checkup today? I recently had one at the end of term," Pansy said, sighing in defeat. There was no way she could avoid it. She was going to be married in a few short months to one man she hated.

"A pregnancy test," Regina replied softly, and Pansy gasped.

Pregnancy? She hadn't even thought of that! The idea of carrying Senus's child due to his disgusting male needs made her shudder, closing her eyes and wishing this would all just be a sick, sick nightmare.

"Be ready at noon," Regina replied, standing up abruptly and leaving the room.

Pansy sighed, finishing her breakfast even though after every bite, she felt like taking another one would surely kill her. Maybe that was what she was hoping for. When finished, she left and went upstairs, glad to see that Senus had left the Manor.

For an hour, she busied herself with pacing the room and thinking of impossible ways to get out of the engagement. Each seemed as unlikely as the next. There was absolutely no way to get him out of her life.

"Mistress? Your mother asks your presence in the parlor," an elf squeaked from the doorway.

Pansy nodded, checking her appearance before heading gracefully downstairs to see that Senus was once more, at the Manor. Her face fell but she tried to pick it up immediately, to no avail.

"Ready?" Senus asked innocently, proffering his arm.

"Yes," Pansy responded quietly, accepting the arm purely not to be rude and apparating the moment he did to St. Mungo's.

After having a short chat with the receptionist while waiting for her appointment, Pansy entered one of the long, bright rooms and lay out on a bed. She knew pregnancy tests were terribly easy to perform in the wizarding world, if only one had the proper ability.

It was possible to learn a skill that allowed one to lay their hands on the stomach of a woman and tell if she was or was not pregnant. The common nurse did not acquire this, only people who were serious doctors.

A tall, slightly plump woman walked over, a smile plastered on her features as she adjusted her gloves.

"Afternoon, Ms. Parkinson," she greeted, nodding to Senus as well, who was seated in the chair beside the bed.

The nurse set straight to work, lifting Pansy's robes and laying her hands on Pansy's stomach. Her eyes changed an odd shade of violet and then after about two minutes, she pulled her hands away.

Nervously, Pansy adjusted her robes and looked to the nurse for answers.

"There are no signs of growth, nor any signs that there will be any. You're not pregnant," the nurse told her and Pansy couldn't help but smile. She wasn't going to be a mother. Not yet.

Senus didn't seem all too disappointed. She imagined he was just thinking that she would continue to be skinny until their wedding. He probably wouldn't want an impregnated woman in a wedding dress.

They left the room without a word spoken to each other until Senus turned to Pansy.

"I've heard there's an exquisite café just added to Diagon Alley. Let us go and have a drink," Senus said once they reached the front office.

Knowing better than to object, Pansy nodded, forcing herself to smile as she apparated to Diagon Alley, meeting with Senus there.

They walked in complete silence down to the café. Well, it wasn't complete silence, seeing as Senus was greeting particularly dark looking figures on the street as they went.

When they finally reached it, Pansy had to admit it looked like a nice place, though crowded.

They walked in, hearing a lot of noise from people talking, laughing, and other assorted activities in the café.

A very large group of men were seated in the center, all drinking what looked to be firewhiskey and eating small amounts of food, making a good amount of the racket. Pansy didn't look at them, not wanting to make Senus angry or jealous or anything of the sort.

Luckily, they managed to get a table. Unfortunately, it was placed near the bathrooms. Oh well, no odd smell or noises reached their noses and ears, so they didn't much mind.

Senus ordered them both a drink without even a glance at the menu, springing into conversation with Pansy, who pretended to be listening.

"I really ought to have a tutor teach you the art of Arithmancy, it's quite fascinating. It gives you the ability to know more than half the people you know," Senus carried on, Pansy catching bits and pieces of what he was saying as she tried to keep her gaze on him. It kept drifting to the windows, but his voice slightly altered to be louder brought her quickly back to attention.

The group of men were getting even louder as they were brought more drinks, Pansy only seeing the back of some heads for a split second before she looked back to Senus, who was growing impatient with her wandering eyes.

"Pansy? Are you listening to me?" Senus asked impatiently.

"_PANSY?_"

She turned, hearing her name in a tone that sounded full of shock and disbelief. Right there before her, seeming to have been heading to the bathroom was Blaise Zabini, an old school friend. He looked even more handsome than she remembered.

It took her a second to remember why he was looking at her like that. She had been transformed into what was expected of her.

"You know this man?" Senus asked, breaking the stare between the two.

"School friends," Pansy explained, standing up. "Blaise! Err… Good to see you."

He just stared for a moment before pulling her into a bonebreaking hug and letting her go seconds later.

"I can't believe it's really you! The nose and the hair and the outfit…" Blaise carried on, scanning her new appearance several times.

"Hey, Malfoy! Goyle! Nott! Look who's here!" He called loudly towards that center table.

"Who is it?" Goyle called back, squinting his eyes to see who it was that Blaise was yelling about.

"Just come over here, you stupid logs!"

Pansy felt a blush rushing to her cheeks. They didn't even recognize her. It occurred to her that Blaise may not have known who she was if Senus had not been saying her name as he walked by.

All of the men from the group, which was quite a crowd, walked over to Blaise, carrying assorted alcoholic drinks.

Malfoy was the first to see it.

"Parkinson?" He merely gasped, his silver-blue eyes wide with awe.

She nodded. A few of the men that she didn't recognize let out impolite catcalls and the ones she did just stood there a bit shocked.

"Senus Yitel," Senus said, breaking the silence and shaking Blaise's hand.

"Blaise Zabini," he responded, letting go of the tight grip.

"Did we interrupt some sort of date?" Nott asked, without the slightest bit of worry if he actually had or not.

"No."

"Yes."

Pansy looked to Senus, who had responded with a yes immediately. Had they been on a date?

Some of the guys exchanged looks.

"She's my fiancé," Senus explained haughtily.  
"Oh, now I see it," Nott responded, muttering something to Draco who smirked on queue.

Senus glanced at his watch. Pansy had a feeling that he didn't want to leave, but he'd mentioned having to go to work later. And she didn't mind one bit. A chance to catch up with her friends was all she wanted at that moment.

"I've got to go to work," Senus grumbled bitterly.

"Bye," Pansy replied eagerly, unable to stop a little smile on her face as Senus muttered a goodbye and apparated on the spot.

She was nearly tackled by hugging guys, which would have been out of character for them if they weren't half drunk.

"Come on, sit with us!" Blaise encouraged, pulling Pansy towards the table and scooting in a chair between him and Draco.

"Another whiskey!" Nott called to the waitress, and Pansy was relieved. A whiskey sounded very good at that moment.

"So what happened?" Draco asked, turning to Pansy and taking a swig of his giant mug of alcohol.

"My mother," Pansy began, and the Hogwarts graduates shared a knowing look. "She wanted to make me suitable for a husband, you know, saying I wasn't pretty enough to get any of the rich ones. So she spent a week trying to make me into her. And then I was set up on three dates. Mother just recently engaged me to Senus. This morning, actually."

The men around the table listened attentively as she told them of the first two, a laugh resounding from the growing-drunker table as she told them of how she had rid of her second date.

"Aren't you just the little Bachelorette then?" Blaise asked once she'd finished. She had left out the raping bit, having a feeling that they would hunt and tar Senus if they knew about it, then he'd kill her.

She smiled at him. It may have been because she thought it was funny, or maybe because she'd downed two drinks while explaining the dates. They hadn't noticed.

"Let's go somewhere," Draco suggested, standing up and tossing a bag of galleons on the table. Pansy realized she didn't have any money with her. Draco tossed her a knowing look and threw a few more coins on the table before looking towards the door.

The others paid and they walked out into the streets of Diagon Alley, all a bit tipsy if not drunk.

"Where to?" Blaise asked, slurring his words a bit as he did, smiling a little goofy.

"We could go to my home," Draco replied, to much approval of the crowd. Pansy supposed he owned his own mansion since he'd graduated. His parents had so many summer homes, they could've just handed him over one. He'd always been rather spoilt.

They all agreed to go to Draco's manor, apparating on their own except for Pansy, who had to co-apparate with Draco seeing as she didn't know where the manor was and he couldn't quite recall his address.

When they got there, they drank quite a bit more. It wasn't long before they were all drunk, piled inside Draco's parlor except for about half of the group which had gone back to their wives or fiancés before they got too drunk.

She wasn't surprised that Draco didn't even have a girlfriend. He didn't like anybody unless he knew them very well. And if he didn't know them, they were just a one-night-stand and that's all he'd do with them.

"Let's play the Drinking Game!" Theodore Nott exclaimed in a slurry tone, holding up his bottle of firewhisky.

Several of the men in the room grunted and shouted in agreement, but then took a large gulp and stared around.

"What is the Drinking Game, anyway?" Goyle asked, much to the agreement of the men who had shouted.

"It's when you drink a lot," Theodore said, a goofy smile on his lips.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Draco asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I always thought it was when you're home; trying to convince your wife you haven't had a sip all night. Quite a game," Blaise chipped in, downing a good half of the bottle in his hand.

They'd spent many a night like this at Hogwarts. Pansy had usually not participated, not wanting to drink the alcohol. She'd only done it about three times over the course of seven years. But by the looks of things, the guys had a lot more than that.

"I always figured it was to see who'd pass out first," one of the unidentified males suggested, and the figures in the room looked around.

"Sounds good to me," Draco chipped in, and nods of agreement trailed across the heavy couches.

Pansy wasn't uncomfortable, being with all these guys. It was how it had been at school whenever the girls she had hung with didn't feel like taking part in games that could damage their hairstyle of break a nail, literally. She'd always been one of the tomboys at school.

"We could do the wife bit, 'cept all we've got is Pansy, so she can be our wife," Blaise said, wobbling slightly on his feet.

"She's prettier than mine," one of the men said, and a hearty laugh spread through the room, except for Pansy, who was blushing.

"To Pansy!" Blaise held up his bottle, leaning against a chair for support.

"To Pansy!"

They drank. And drank. And drank. Pansy wasn't aware of what time it was and quite frankly, it hadn't crossed her mind at all. She felt like she was just a carefree kid again, having a good time with her friends.

After enough drinking, Pansy was among the first to drift asleep sitting up, slowly falling to where her head was in Draco's lap, but he fell asleep a bit later with his head resting on the back of the couch.

Pansy woke that next morning with a beating pain her head. She definitely had a hangover, because the snoring in the room was amplified and she felt her head spinning. Whatever she was laying on was rather comfortable though.

By this time, her mother would have woken her up. And at that thought, she sat up straight in an instant, realizing that the comfortable pillow had been Draco's legs.

"Oh Merlin…" She muttered, standing up and avoiding sleeping lumps. Her mother was going to kill her. It was morning, sunlight was pouring in through the windows. What was Senus going to do?

Scared out of her mind, she looked around for her shoes, seeing one perched beside Draco's foot. She leant down to get it, coming up and smacking her shoulder into Draco's knee.

"Ow!" She whined, and Draco woke with a start.

He looked different. His hair was a mess from sleeping like that and his eyes tired. She'd never seen him just when he woke up, and she sort of liked it.

"Pansy?" He muttered, clutching his blonde head against the throbbing pain.

"I've got to go. Mother's going to kill me," Pansy said quietly, aware of the pain he would receive if she were to speak any louder.

He let out a stream of obscenities, standing up also and clutching his back, realizing he'd slept with her other shoe in between him and his back.

"Here," he muttered, handing her the shoe and brushing hair from his face.

"Thanks," she said quietly again, slipping on the shoe and straightening out her robes.

"Owl me to let me know if you're dead or not," Draco said, stretching.

"I can't. My owl got taken away. You can owl me though," Pansy told him.

"All right. Bye," he said, waving slightly just as she apparated with a quiet pop.

She arrived home in the blink of an eye, throwing open the door and quietly trying to maneuver her way upstairs. The staircase seemed a lot longer when she was trying to get up it as fast as she could.

Her hand clasped the door handle when she reached her room, but the door was opened by a force from the other side.

It was her mother. And she looked ready to kill. Her hands were on her hips and her lips pursed together. Her eyes were narrowed and what could be seen of them was a blazing anger.

"Mother," Pansy began, but she was slapped. Again.

She clutched her face lightly, looking fearfully to her mother who pulled Pansy by the wrist into the room.

"Explain to me why you can desert your fiancé and spend the night at some man's house with a dozen other men there?" Regina snapped, her voice making Pansy's head hurt even more.

"It wasn't like that. They're my friends!" Pansy insisted, but her mother refused to hear of it.

"You made Mr. Yitel very angry. He is waiting in the parlor," she continued, seeing Pansy wincing against the tone. "Oh please, take this you foolish girl."

She handed a vial to her daughter, who accepted it and downed it in a second, her head feeling much better.

"Go and apologize to Senus," Regina ordered, giving Pansy a rough push out the door again.

Pansy nodded, hurrying downstairs into the parlor. What was Senus going to do to her? Rape her again? Chills were rushing up and down her body as the thoughts returned.

She walked in, seeing Senus sitting in one of the giant armchairs, tapping his foot against the floor impatiently. When he saw her, he stood up quickly, approaching her with a malicious expression.

"Senus, I'm so-…"

Another slap. This was getting to be really annoying.

"You have disrespected me. You have disrespected everything I have provided you with and will provide you with. Because you've got a hefty sum of money in that bank account of yours, I'm not going to drop you, but you are going to learn a lesson. Right here. To your knees," he ordered.

She quietly obeyed, her eyes shut tightly in fear.

He pulled out his wand, waving it once and muttering something. A cloth appeared at his feet.

"Shine my shoes," he ordered, and Pansy hurried to do so. It wasn't very good, since she had certainly never shined shoes before, but it was done. "You are only worthy to shine the shoes on my feet. You do not deserve any more privileges. That will make up for your sins, though I forbid you to see those fools."

Pansy bit back a tear. At least all she had to do was shine his shoes.

"On your feet," he barked and she stood up immediately. "I will be by tomorrow to pick you up for the fitting."

"Fitting?"

"The fitting of your wedding dress. Our wedding is going to be private. Small and private," he explained, a smirk falling onto his lips. "Now, do go and wash the filth off of you."

She nodded simply. He leaned it and kissed her shortly on her lips before leaving the room.

She fell to her knees again, wrapping her arms around her legs and sobbing into her knees. She was doomed.


	6. Dinner With Draco

She lay there in a heap on the floor for a few moments longer, sobbing into her hands while tears poured from her eyes and dripped off her face and onto the carpet. She just wanted to get out of this, to leave her horrid cage with her mother and Senus and live a normal life. If she wasn't a pureblood, none of this ever would have happened.

Footsteps sounded down the hall, heels that hit the floor so loudly that Pansy could feel the vibrations off the floor. Hurriedly, she sat up and tried to wipe her eyes with her sleeves.

The door opened, and Regina stormed in, snatching Pansy's wrist again and pulling her to her feet.

"Stop acting like such a baby!"

Pansy sniffed, trying to overcome her urge to sob until she went hoarse, looking away.

"Go to your room, and wash," Regina ordered maliciously, giving Pansy a rough push out the door.

Pansy just rushed up the stairs, with no regard to being graceful and the thought not even crossing her mind. She hurried into her room and closed the door as quiet as she could, turning around to see an owl floating around in her room.

It was Draco's. Thank Merlin her mother had left the room before the owl could get there.

She untied it and gave the owl a quick stroke across his cheek and ripped open the letter. Draco's familiar scrawl made her happy, in a time of such sadness.

_Pansy,_

_I do hope you're all right. Your mother's a bit of a loon, I know. I really am truly sorry if I caused this, anyway. I think we all did, since we wanted to play the Drinking Game. I should've thought of you first, you know, and your fiancé. Was he terribly angry? I'm sure I would be if my fiancé spent the night with a bunch of men. Perhaps you two could come to the Manor for dinner, and I could make it up to him. I told Perchies to wait for you to reply before he left, since your owl got taken away._

_Draco Malfoy_

Pansy smiled lightly, setting the letter down and whipping out a piece of parchment as fast as she could. She pulled out her favorite quill, dipping it in her _Tekka_ ink and bringing it hurriedly to the paper. She couldn't have Regina walking in on her writing to the very person she was in trouble for seeing.

_Draco,_

_I'm all right, but Mother and Senus were very angry. I can't really go into detail, you'd be bored, but I don't think I'll be out and about much anymore. Actually, never. But I'm getting my fitting for my wedding dress tomorrow at that fancy dressing shop in Hogsmeade. You know the one where we got our _lovely_ dress robes for the Yule Ball? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to remind you. I'll be there sometime around noon, I'm sure. Senus didn't specify a time. Of course, it will be a complete coincidence if you show._

_Pansy_

She read over it quickly, ignoring any spelling or grammar mistakes she may have made and sending it off with Perchies, hiding her quill and ink and headed off to the w.c. to wash up.

After a long soaking bath, she dressed and performed the necessary spells on her hair, she returned to her bedroom. She felt considerably better after reading and writing to Draco, seeing a spot of hope in all this. Maybe if she and Senus attended the dinner, she would be able to see her friends after all.

Perchies was waiting for her, with a new letter hanging from his leg. She smiled giddily, taking it and opening it.

_Pansy,_

_Good, I'll need to pick up some new dress robes anyway for Mother's Christmas ball… A few months in advance, but you can't be too careful. See you there._

_Draco Malfoy_

Perchies had left, so Pansy quickly destroyed the letters and then headed downstairs for breakfast. She was absolutely starving, and feeling better than she expected of herself. After eating a filling meal, she went into her father's old study, which had been returned to its previous state. No more mirrors and makeup supplies, thank Merlin.

She went over to the left, second to last book shelf and reached up onto the very top shelf, to a novel looking particularly boring. It was grey and the letters were fading off of it. She pulled it off the shelf and reached behind it, pulling a lever upward. Once she stepped down, she pressed the bookshelf back and it opened, revealing an enormous library behind it.

She hadn't been in there since her father had died. They used to go back there all the time when she was little, and he would read her favorite childhood stories to her and then as she got older, she would go back and read the books he would pick out for her. Each week, he'd order a new book h thought she'd be interested in and place it atop the desk in the front, and she would read it. Of course, when she had attended Hogwarts, she had been sent books every month by mail(since she had a lot less time to read) and over the summer, they'd go back to each week.

Lying atop the desk was _A Summer in Paradise_ that had been there since two days before his death. He had died a few days after the beginning of term in her sixth year and she had not the time to read that particular book over the summer.

It brought back memories of Orion, in his expensive robe with that handsome smile on his features. For some reason, she didn't feel like crying over him anymore. She had cried for the first time in six years the day he had died, and Draco had soothed her. It was a long time ago, but their friendship became more intense that day. She loved Blaise, but she and Draco had been closer since Orion's death.

She smiled lightly, remembering when she was a little girl. Her mother had been putting her through those horrid lessons, teaching her to dress and walk and eat and everything else. After lessons, she'd sneak into her father's study and he'd tell her some magnificent story that he made up off the top of his head. She loved those stories and was certain she would still like to hear one.

Pansy lifted the book off the desk, plopping in a large, ebony chair by the fireplace and curling up in it.

She opened the book to the first page, gasping lightly upon seeing that there was handwriting in it.

**My dear Pansy,**

It was Orion's handwriting. She'd recognize that anywhere. It was beautiful, far too good for a man to be able to write.

**This book is a wonderful story, of two people who come to love each other, against all odds. They weren't meant to be. They're too different, and part of separate cliques.**

**And I want you to read this and know that despite what your mother says about you having to marry rich and pureblood, you can marry who you want. I want you to be in love, and love your life and your husband and I want you to raise beautiful children in which you both love.**

**You need to trust him and know he would never intentionally hurt you. I was betrothed as a young boy and I never loved your mother. And you see, my marriage could've been better. Of course, I never would have gotten you. Being married to Regina is worth it so I can have you.**

**I love you Pansy. Marry for love, not for blood.**

**With hugs and kisses and everything else mushy gushy,**

**Dad**

Tears were now running down her cheeks as she stared at the letter, hearing her father's voice as she had read it. He wanted her to marry for something other than she was. Of course, that wasn't possible. But why did he have to die?

She opened it to the actual story, snuggling in closer to the comfy chair and began reading.

The next day, Regina woke Pansy up nice and early for her to prepare to have her robes fitted.

"They're going to be beautiful," Regina said as she scanned through Pansy's wardrobe. "Long and flowing and perfect to your figure. I don't know where you for your figure anyway, it's nothing like mine."

Pansy raised an eyebrow from where she had been brushing her teeth.

"Don't raise your eyebrow, I'm serious. You've got this curvy body, probably because you were fat before."

Pansy's eyes widened and she spit into the sink, turning to her mother.

"You shouldn't be offended. You had a little bit of a tummy."

"Mother!" Pansy scolded, shaking her head and slipping on the dress handed to her. Regina was obviously in a better mood than she had been the night before.

At around noon, Senus stopped by to pick her up, acting as though nothing had happened as long as her mother was in the room.

"Remember, something beautiful!" Regina called after them before they apparated, and Pansy remained quiet.

When they arrived at the robes parlor, Senus ushered her in. Pansy scanned the shop for a head of silvery blonde hair, but saw no one that fit his description.

Senus led her over to a lady behind the counter.

"Ah, Mr. Yitel! I was expecting you."

He smirked, dipping his head and pulling Pansy up beside him, his arm looping extremely low on her waist.

"My fiancé, Pansy," he introduced her to the lady. "Pansy, this is Halle. She's been a friend of the family for a long time. She's made every dress robe I ever wore."

Pansy pretended to look impressed. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, dear," Halle said, walking over to Pansy. "Now, what kind of dress would you like?"

"She wants something very fitting, low-cut, simple," Senus answered for her, and Pansy held back the urge to wince. She was going to look like a skank for her wedding.

"Ah, very well then. What color?"

"White," Senus responeded for her, and Pansy sighed, hearing the door open and turning her head.

It was Draco. He looked as magnificent as ever, standing in the doorway like a God.

He found her at the counter and a smirk befell his lips as he casually strode over to them.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Halle called cheerfully, waving her hand.

Senus, however, turned his head and glared at Draco as he approached them.

"Halle, so nice to see you. Senus, Pansy," he greeted them each in turn, smiling at Pansy especially.

"What can I assist you with?" Halle asked, going back behind her counter and preparing her quill.

"Dress robes," he drawled. "Nothing too fancy, you know, another one of Mother's infamous Christmas balls."

"Of course," the seamstress replied, a smile on her lips as she added Draco's name. "I have an appointment with Mr. Yitel and his lovely fiancé for now, but I can be right with you."

"You wouldn't mind if I talked to them alone for a moment, would you?" Draco asked innocently, and Halle nodded.

"No, no, of course," she said, hurrying off to prepare the fabric for Pansy's dress.

"Senus, I do wish to apologize for the prior inconvenience… I can assure you, however, that Pansy remained very loyal to you for the evening. I still feel rather guilty about it. Perhaps you two could join me for dinner some evening? A congrats to a young couple and my apologies."

Senus looked to Pansy, and she couldn't help but smile at little at how smoothly he had laid it out. Draco had always been good at that.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," Senus replied at last, willing to rebuild the ties between him and one of the richest eighteen year olds in the world.

"Excellent! This Friday is wonderful for me. Have you any plans?" Draco asked, seeming absolutely jovial at his acceptance.

"No," Pansy replied quickly, and Senus nodded.

Draco nodded. "Very well. I shall see you at seven."

"Mr. Yitel! Perhaps you would like to see if this color suits you?" Halle called from the back of the shop waving at Senus.

"Coming," Senus called, casting a warning look at Pansy before disappearing back to Halle.

"That wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be," Draco said, kissing the back of Pansy's hand as he so often had done at family functions, where it was the proper thing to do. This was just a casual meeting though.

"I suppose not," she said, smiling lightly as he let her hand back to her side. She saw Senus, from the other side of the store, motioning for her to come over. "I'll see you Friday."

He nodded, turning and pretending to be examining different shades of green as Pansy went to the back of the store, feeling even better.

"Come on now, in the back room," Halle ushered her through a door and into a stone-walled room with a stool in the middle, surrounded by mirrors and several sewing supplies scattered among the floor. "My assistant will take your measurements."

As she said that, a short and stumpy woman came in, taking the measurer and carefully sliding it around Pansy's arm.

"Can't you just use magic?" Pansy asked. In her previous experience, the measurer had just been charmed to do it's own.

"It's not as accurate as Sylvia here," the seamstress said with a grin, using her wand like scissors as she carefully cut out the shape of the dress into the perfect fabric.

It was a creamy white, but looked softer than anything she'd ever seen. She could only imagine how it felt. Pansy shook the thoughts from her mind once she reminded herself why she was wearing it. To please and marry Senus, who was standing in the corner of the room, watching.

Once all the measurements had been taken and all the fabric had been cut, Pansy was asked to get out of her robes and the process began.

Halle worked quick, and had the basic shape of the dress organized to Senus's request in about fifteen minutes. And then they were asked to come by the next day for the second fitting, where Halle would have Pansy try on the dress and then work with it from there.

Out in the shop, Draco was still waiting, chatting it up with some man who Pansy recognized as a friend of the family.

"Senus," she began, turning to him. "How many people will be coming?"

"Not very many. The family, and then some friends of the family. Close friends. I imagine you want to invite your precious Draco," he replied, leading her out of the shop by a tight grip on her arm. She felt very much like a dog.

"Actually, I was hoping my friend Millicent and her fiancé Vince could come along," Pansy replied, ignoring his comment about Draco. Though she did wish to invite him.

"Perhaps," he gruffly responded.

They stopped by some little shop for tea and then headed off to their separate homes.

"How was it?" Regina asked, lifting her head from the _Daily Prophet._

"We'll go back tomorrow for the second fitting," she explained. "Are you compiling a guest list, Mother?"

Regina stood up, folding the paper. "Yes. Come with me." She led Pansy to her study, which was quite different from Orion's study. After rummaging through a few stacks of parchments on the desk, she held one up which had about twenty names listed.

"All your relatives, distant or not, and five of Senus's own. I suppose you'll want to invite Miss Bullstrode."

"Yes. And her fiancé, Vincent Crabbe. Perhaps I could just jot down a few names right quick," Pansy suggested. Regina agreed tentively, handing her a quill.

Pansy sat down behind the desk, dipping the quill in a jar of ink and bringing it slowly to the paper. She added Millicent, Crabbe, Goyle, Draco, Blaise, and Theodore.

"I will have Senus look over it," Regina announced, shooing Pansy away.

Friday came quickly, despite Pansy's increasingly busy schedule. The dress was finished, and Pansy had sat through some very boring meetings where her mother discussed floral arrangements with florists, and then had to attend the robbing shop for her bridesmaids to be fitted.

Her cousins, Danielle and Tabatha were being her bridesmaids, since Pansy's mother refused to let Millicent be one. And Senus had chosen two of his friends, who seemed to be quite a lot of them. She couldn't help but be scared of them, after what Senus had done to her.

He arrived on time at six-thirty, clad in very nice, expensive ebony dress robes that fit his somewhat bulky muscular form. Pansy had not chosen her ensemble, since Senus was being a bastard and wouldn't let her.

"Don't you have anything that isn't low cut?" he demanded, scouring through her wardrobes.

He apparently would like her to wear low cut clothing when he was the one she was wearing it for. But to attend an old friend's home, he wouldn't hear of it.

"Ah! Here, wear this!" he tossed over to her a dress that she had gotten in seventh year, bought by herself. She was a tad larger then, everywhere, and it only exposed a bit of her neck.

She sighed, slipping into the bathroom to change and returning.

Senus lazily pulled out his wand, whipping it around in the air a few times. The dress immediately tightened, to where her breathing was a bit more shallow than usual. Actually, she was beginning to get used to wearing these horridly tight dresses.

She wore her hair up, in an elegant bun with wisps of curled hair hanging down on either side of her face.

"Come, we'll be late," he ordered, snatching her arm and leading her to the porch, where they apparated.

They arrived at the beautiful manor, which was centuries old and had the most gorgeous exterior she'd ever seen. She noticed this, as they had spent their summers in first year outside, playing Quidditch or enjoying tag in the enormous Gardens that toppled over her own.

Senus glanced at his watch, and Pansy glanced at it too. Right on the dot. He rung the doorbell and waited a few moments before a house elf opened the door. Draco appeared behind him, smirking.

"Welcome, welcome," he said as the house elf accepted their coats and closed the door, scurrying off. "Senus, a pleasure."

He shook her fiancé's hand, then let go and moved to Pansy's own hand, lifting it and kissing the back of it as he had done the other day.

"You look lovely," he said, the smirk becoming slightly broader as he led them into the sitting room.

Senus and Draco engaged in a conversation about politics, while Pansy fiddled with her sleeves, unnoticed. She lifted her head when finally, one of them broke the conversation about Dumbledore and spoke.

"How is your mother, Pansy?" Draco asked, as if he actually cared. He quite knew how she was from the letter, but Pansy played along.

"Quite all right. She's rather busy making preparations for the wedding," she explained, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. But she suppressed it, as it had nothing to do with what she was talking about. She just missed her old friends, especially him.

"Good to hear. Are you all having your wedding inside or outside?" Draco continued, again pretending that he was interested.

"Outside, I believe," she responded. "I'm sure you will be receiving your invitation soon enough."

Senus's head whipped around to her. Apparently, he had not planned on inviting Draco. But how did he intend to get away with it?

"I shall anticipate it," Draco said, ignoring the tension that had just risen between the guests.

A tiny house elf popped in the door, looking terribly frightened. "Dinner!"

Draco escorted them into the dining room, seating himself just as Senus pulled the chair out for Pansy. She sat in it and scooted herself a bit closer to the table. The chair made an enormous noise as it moved.

Draco grinned, as they were rather used to that happening over the summer. They made a game out of it once, seeing who could make the loudest scooting noise. But Narcissa had told them off once she'd seen it was scratching the floors. Pansy grinned as well, giggling under her breath and looking to Senus, who looked angry.

Dinner was excellent, roast beef and pasta, complete with a desert of mousse that was so often served at eloquent dinners such as this one.

Senus and Draco got along well enough. Pansy wondered if perhaps Draco was anything like him, but scolded herself for the thought. She knew Draco inside and out, as she did anyone in their group of friends in Slytherin. She knew he wouldn't rape girls or being half as forceful as Senus was.

After dinner, Draco opted to show Senus some of the finer points of their home. He showed him the art gallery, which Pansy was always impressed by, and would have shown him the Gardens if it weren't for the fact that a torrential storm had begun.

"We should be going," Senus announced, glancing out the window. "Before it gets it any worse."

"Are you mad?" Draco suddenly burst out. "Do you remember your apparition exam?"

Senus was a few years older than them, and the memory wasn't as clear. "No."

"It's dangerous to apparate in the midst of a huge storm. Especially for a woman," Draco explained. Pansy couldn't remember that, but it could have been true.

"Why for a woman?" Senus implored, glancing out the window again just as a flash of lightning lit the sky.

"I'm not entirely sure, but they have a much larger chance of being splinched in a storm than men do. Three out of ten women don't get splinched with weather like this."

Pansy hid a grin. Now that certainly wasn't true, but she only knew this because Draco had put his hands in the pockets of his trousers. That was terribly unlike Draco, and he only did it when he was putting up a show.

"I suppose we'll stick around for a while then," Senus muttered, moving over to a particularly large family portrait on the wall.

"If you don't mind, I'll use the ladies room," Pansy said suddenly, and Senus waved his wand nonchantly.

She walked up the stairs, careful to keep her grace as she did so.

"What're you doing, walking like that?"

Pansy turned, seeing Draco at the foot of the stairs with an amused smirk on his face.

"It's proper."

He chuckled softly. "Proper? Since when did you really care?"

"Mother insists," she said, smiling lightly.

"Oh right. Almost forgot about your half-sane Mother," Draco said clearly, and Pansy wondered if Senus had heard. He started up the stairs, stopping on the step which she stood on. "I really can't get over this new you."

"Me either," she said honestly, brushing the curly hairs from her face.

"Is something bothering you? I mean, Senus sounds like an all right bloke, but you look terrified of him," Draco pointed out, and Pansy paled visibly.

Had it been that noticeable? She was frightened of Senus, he was an incredibly scary man who treated her like a little pet, something to add to his collection.

"Why would you say that?" she lied, and awfully at that. Even if she'd lied well, he could see through it. She always paused for a moment and lifted her chin a little when she lied. It was a habit.

"Well it's rather clear. You've been quiet, very quiet, and whenever he speaks to you, you answer like you'd answer to your mother," he said honestly, leading her up the stairs.

"Do I?" she faltered, knowing she sounded like an idiot.

"Yes. If something was wrong, you'd tell me, right?" he asked in a sort of accusatory way, to where she bit her lip, smearing the light shade of lipstick onto her tooth.

"O-of course," she responded mildly, licking off the lipstick from her tooth and rubbing her lips together to make it seem like nothing had been bitten of at all.

He just raised his eyebrow, leading her down the hall towards the ladies room. "What is it?"

She stared at him, long and hard, wondering if she should tell him. She decided against it, because Draco would probably rush down there and start a duel with him over it all, and she couldn't have that. Senus would murder her if he knew she'd told someone.

"Nothing," she said, closing the door in his face. She felt bad about it, yes, but she just couldn't tell him. And he knew there was something to be told.

Once her business was taken care of, she opened the door, half expecting Draco to be waiting there on his stubborn arse. He didn't back down from getting what information he wished to know easily.

He wasn't there. She shrugged it off, straightening her dress and heading gracefully down the steps, Draco's teasing words repeating in her mind. She didn't ever used to walk like that. Actually, she despised stairs because they took far too long, in her opinion. She was always the one scampering up them and quite frequently landed herself in the Hospital Wing for falling.

She heard conversation from the parlor and entered, keeping her eyes on her feet as she seated herself across from Senus, looking up at last. Draco sneaked a glance at her, and then turned his attention back to the other man, who was speaking using wild hand movements.

They talked like that for some time, and it was getting later. The storm had not settled. In fact, it had gotten worse. Rain was pelting against the windows with much more speed and thickness, and the thunder was loud enough to make them have to shout over it. The lightning was coming in near constant streaks, lighting up the sky with each blast of energy.

"Surely you'll stay the night," Draco suggested after glancing out the window as well.

"Stay the night?" Senus repeated, eyes widening.

"You don't plan to apparate in that mess, do you? No worries, my maids and servants will have all the necessary preparations made for your stay. You won't need a thing."

Pansy tried to suppress a pleading expression towards Senus, hoping he would agree. He glanced at her, pinching his lips together for a moment before looking out the window in a lingering sort of way.

"I suppose we will stay," he finally agreed, and Pansy couldn't help but smile a little bit. Draco feigned absolute joy and stood up.

"Come, let me show you to your rooms," he said, smirk returning to his face as he led them out the parlor.

They walked up the stairs and Draco showed them to the second room on the left.

"For you, Senus."

Senus looked in it, seeming satisfied. "Come, Pansy."

"She won't be sleeping in the same room, will she?" Draco asked, acting as though he were shocked beyond belief.

Senus didn't say anything.

"It's not proper, at all. You're not married yet, I would feel like I was breaking a rule," Draco continued. "Pansy can stay across the hall. I will be upstairs in the third room on the right, if you need me."

He turned, waving and heading off. Senus looked over to Pansy, fixing her with a warning stare before disappearing into his room.

Pansy walked into the one across the hall, lighting a lantern and sitting down in front of the vanity.

A maid scurried in lying out pajamas and setting out some toiletries in the restroom before returning to the room.

"Master Malfoy has assured me you will find clothing for tomorrow in the wardrobe. He says they ma be a bit large, but will do until you make it home."

Pansy nodded to the maid, thanking her and slipping into the rich silk pajamas. They were too large for her, and had a pocket with a delicate embroidery reading _DM_.

She noticed a bit of white in the pocket. Reaching in, she pulled it out to see a folded up bit of parchment.

_Come to my room tonight. I will hear of what is bothering you and there will be no objections on your part._

She read it three or four times before tossing it into the fireplace, which was burning a rich aroma into the room. If Senus were to find it, she'd be doomed.

Pansy entered the restroom, nearly tripping on the ends of the pajama pants. She reached down, folding up the legs six or seven times. She had always been a lot shorter than Draco. And it was uncanny he had no female pajamas. He probably did, just didn't bother searching for them.

She brushed her teeth and rinsed all the makeup off her face, leaving her hair up in the elegant bun. She had no want to take it down and mess with it tonight.

She opened the door, peeking out to see the light flicker off in Senus's room. Careful not to make any noise, she crept out and up the stairs, skipping over the third, which she knew creaked.

When she reached the bedroom, she opened it as quietly as she could, closing it behind her and seeing Draco, wearing pajamas identical to those she was wearing, standing in the middle of the room.

"Draco, there's really nothing to tell," she tried to convince him in a whisper.

He shook his head, not willing to hear of it. Reaching into his pocket, he brandished his wand and cast a silencing charm on the room, so no noise inside could be heard outside.

"Sit, Pansy," he said in a regularly toned voice, though Pansy still felt the need to whisper.

She followed him over, sitting down on the sheets of the bed, the silk against the silk of her pajamas nearly making her slip off of it.

"I don't trust him," he finally said, and Pansy turned, shocked.

"You don't? Why not?" she asked, looking away. She always thought his act was fairly convincing. Senus always seemed like a calm, cool man.

"Because Pansy, I'm a man. And I know when someone is fooling," he answered, sitting down beside her on the sheets.

"I don't understand. He's quite a loyal--…"

She was interrupted by Draco, who could see through her like he could see through a glass panel.

"Stop it. I know you're lying too, because you're a horrid liar. Stop pretending and tell me what he did to you."

She looked away, biting back the need to cry again. She never used to cry, it was always something she was able to control and hardly ever saw the need to. But ever since the incident with Senus, she couldn't control herself anymore.

"He didn't do anything to me," she choked out, in an extremely unconvincing tone that sounded on the verge of crying.

Draco reached over and put his hands on her shoulders, gripping them firmly and turning her to face him.

"Drop the façade and tell me."

She couldn't hold it any longer. A tear drifted down her cheek and she fell into Draco's arms, resting her head on his chest as she cried. She cried as silently as she could manage, while he rocked her back and forth.

"Shh…" he tried to soothe her, but to no avail. "Just tell me. Have you told anyone?"

She shook her head no into his pajamas, trying to clear herself up as best she could.

"It's going to feel better if you tell me."

She sighed, taking one last sniff. Regina knew, Senus knew, and Pansy knew. Other than that, it was entirely a secret. And the fact that her mother and her fiancé knew did not make her feel any lighter.

She began shakily, telling of Joel Gazelle, Steven Reynolds, and what they had done or what she had done to be rid of them. She finally told him, with tears bursting from her eyes, what had happened between she and Senus that night. She told him what her mother had said to her, and finished with the shining his shoes.

He looked a bit overwhelmed, and then his expressions turned into a passionate anger.

"I'll kill him," he muttered irrationally, gripping his wand inside his pocket with a fierce intensity.

"Draco, no!" she cried, not willing to risk it. If Senus knew she'd told Draco, she'd be in a lot more trouble than she'd ever been in. However, it felt a bit better to know that someone else knew of what she had dealt with.

He clenched his fist so tightly, she was sure he was going to cut his skin. But after a bit of soothing, he loosened his grip and allowed his wand to fall back into the depths of his pocket.

"I can't believe that dirty prat," he scowled. "And your mother… She should be sent to St. Mungo's, and that idiot should be sent off to Azkaban."

He furrowed his brows for a moment before sighing, looking over to her.

"I'll manage," she assured him, though was not completely certain she would manage.

"I always thought you'd end up with one of us," he admitted after a short silence.

"One of you?" she blurted, surprised. The thought hadn't actually crossed her mind, except in first and second year when she had just been getting to know them. They'd always been such great friends that the idea of anything more didn't get around to her thoughts much.

"Yeah. I imagine we all fancied you at one time or another, but none of us ever did anything about it. Blaise liked you for ages."

She lifted an eyebrow, curious. She had been the messy, tomboy Pansy Parkinson, friend to every Slytherin guy and leader of the gang of Slytherin girls. To her knowledge, she wasn't exactly girlfriend material.

"He did?"

"Yeah," Draco nodded. "I imagine I did in fourth year for a while, when I asked you to the ball. I actually considered suggesting our betrothal to Mother in sixth year when your father died. I wanted you to be happy, and I still do."

She had never quite heard him be so sincere. He was always determined to make Potter's life a living hell. Of course, he was jealous of the golden boy. Potter had all that fame, he was Dumbledore's pet, and more powers than any other student in his year. All because Voldemort had made some stupid mistake when trying to kill him.

"I'll find a way to make things happy. Senus will be at work during the day. I'm sure I'll find a way to entertain myself," she grinned slightly, reaching down and squeezing his hand. He needed to control his fury, and talking like that was going to give him another outburst.

He looked over to her, his trademark Malfoy smirk befalling his features. It was late and dim and they were alone…

She shook the thoughts hurriedly from her mind, breaking their gaze and looking at the door. She couldn't let her emotions take over.

"I should go," she announced, standing up and letting go of his hand, starting for the door. He followed her, stepping in front of her at the handle.

With no words spoken, he leaned down to her height and kissed her, a lingering kiss on the lips that she wasn't expecting.

When he broke apart, she was lost in her wants to be happy. And when the kisses became fierier, more passionate, she started to realize it wasn't the lighting or the time of night.

She wanted him. And it was quite clear he wanted her.

And when the morning arrived, they lay beneath the silky bedsheets, clothes discarded among the floor around them.

It was a shame the creak of the opening door didn't awake her when a very familiar body stepped into the room, shocked.

Author's Notes: Thanks for the excellent reviews! I left you with an ending this time, something to look forward to in the next chapter. For those of you wanting to see more Draco/Pansy, you got your wish. Definitely. Sorry it took so long to update.

**WeasleyGirl: **Senus is horrible, isn't he? cackle Do keep reading!

**Katsumi-Sanata**Sad, I know. And only going to get sadder. Whoops! Did I just say that?

**Slytherin-girl TF lover: **Well, he might save her… But you've got to remember, its rich powerful pureblood against rich powerful pureblood. So you'll just have to see who's going to win.

**Treesharadia: **As you wish!


	7. Imprisonment

She couldn't remember a time she had felt more loved. She'd always felt that ever-present love by her father, and by her friends during school, but it had never been like that before. When Draco had kissed her, she had the sudden notion to pull away but remained. It felt so right. Kissing Senus was frightening, and hurried, and she felt misplaced when she did so. But it was entirely different with Draco. It was as though their lips fit together perfectly. And surges of bliss had pulsed through her veins as they had gotten closer. Until at last, they had fallen asleep under the blankets, curled into each other's embrace.

Waking up, however, was not quite as pleasant. Actually, she had been roughly snatched by the arm and pulled out of the blankets and entirely off the bed, falling to a painful thud on the floor. She at first wanted to cover her body, opening her eyes and seeing the blurred form of Senus standing before her.

"You whore!" he screeched, causing Draco to wake and worriedly look to the girl on the floor, trying to cover herself.

A vein was pulsing in his forehead, and his teeth gritted. Pulling a loose sheet tightly around his waist, he stood and helped Pansy to her feet, only to receive a startling punch to the gut.

"And you, little spoiled brat! I should've known better. Apparating in storms being bad for the woman's reproduction… I should've known it was all a bloody scheme to get her in bed," Senus barked, his fist still clenched in the punching position.

Draco had managed to regain his composure, tightening the hold on the sheet and giving a very intense glare at him.

"You didn't even wait to get to a bed with her, did you?" he snarled, apparently ignoring any pain he'd received from his punch.

Pansy reached over, grasping one of the pajama shirts which had been discarded on the floor and pulling it over her front, forcing on a pair of pants with it and standing up, stepping in between them.

"Stop!" she cried, knowing that she was going to be in a lot more trouble than she had started with.

"Don't tell me what to do, you filthy slut!" Senus growled, grabbing her arm again and tossing her away, sending her to the ground with a rush of his furious strength.

Draco narrowed his eyes, scanning the bedside table for his wand. It was gone. It had been in his pants pocket. Rushing his gaze around, he spotted a bit of wood popping from Pansy's pocket and attempted to approach her. However, he was stopped by a merciless hand fastened around his neck.

Pansy took the opportunity to latch onto Senus's back, catching him off guard so he released Draco and pulled her off.

"Consider your invitation invalid," her fiancé snarled, tightening his hand around Pansy's arm so fiercely that she was certain it was going to fall off.

He pulled her out of the room and into the humid morning air, co-apparating her in a moment's time.

She found herself back at home, and he dragged her inside. Her dress was still at Draco's, but that was the least of her worries.

He finally let go, pulling her around in front of him and smacking her so hard across the side that she thought she was going to faint. Using the stairwell to steady herself, she bit back painful tears and tried to rush away from him backwards.

"You are foolish, to go behind my back with that _boy_. You could've had the best life with me, rich and having everything you want at your fingertips. But you had to go play whore with the brat. Our wedding will be immediate. Go upstairs and wash the filth off of you, again."

She stared at him, wide eyes brimming with tears. Did he plan to rape her again? What did he mean by immediate? Without waiting to ask, she hurried up the stairs with no grace whatsoever, entering her room and using the dresser to support herself.

She leaned against it, feeling something pressing against her thigh. She looked down, seeing the bit of wand popping from her pocket. Quickly, she pulled it out and examined it, recognizing it instantly as Draco's wand.

What was he going to do without it? She had no way to owl him about it. The door handle turned, and she stuffed the wand back into the pocket.

Senus stood there, the same hateful look in his eyes as he stormed past her, brandishing his own wand and casting a spell on the window.

"No owls for you, in or out," he snarled, storming out of the door again. He had reached insane, just as Regina had.

Pansy walked over to the window, reaching out to touch it but feeling some force holding her back.

The door opened again, and she stifled a scream. It was probably Senus. Whipping around, she saw the form of one of the household maids standing there. She couldn't have been much older than Pansy, fairly pretty and a frightened visage on her face.

"What?" Pansy snapped, though she did feel somewhat guilty of doing so. After all, it was just a bad mood.

"I…" the maid began, looking at her feet, "I was sent to prepare the bath water and do Miss's hair for the evening."

"What's this evening?" Pansy asked, this time with much less malice as she pulled the wand out, fingering it and fighting a smile at the memories of the night before. It had all been so perfect—until the morning.

"Your mother has called for the bridesmaids to arrange for dinner," the maid explained quietly, turning on the water for the enormous tub.

"Oh," Pansy replied glumly, running her finger over the letters on her shirt pocket. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "Do you have access to the Owlery?"

The maid looked surprised. "I am not the one who tends to it… But I could get in after hours."

Pansy smiled a bit. "Might you be able to return this to a Mister Draco Malfoy?"

The maid looked at the wand in Pansy's hand. She clearly recognized the name. "I will try, Madam… But if I am to be caught, I will certainly lose my place."

Pansy waved her hand nonchantly. "Worry little of that. I will take care of it." She handed the wand to her, and the maid secured it in her pocket. "What's your name?" she asked, taking an odd interest in the helpful woman.

"Diana, miss. Diana Ross," she said, adding a bit of bubble to the bathwater. The maid seemed to consider speaking for a moment, but finally said what was on her mind. "I heard what he did…you know, Mr. Yitel."

Pansy's expression tightened. "I suppose the whole house knows by now."

"No… I heard it from the maid who heard you…Well…you know… Screaming and such. He's really a terrible man," Diana said, wringing her hands together worriedly over whether or not she should be telling this.

"Really terrible. I'd much rather marry Draco," Pansy said, forgetting she was speaking with a maid. "But you didn't hear that."

"No, of course not, Madam. I hope I am not being too outspoken, but Mister Malfoy has rather attractive features."

Pansy smiled lightly, having a feeling she could grow fond of this maid. It was an odd feeling in her, something of kindness she had never expressed towards her maids. Despite the fact that Senus was boarding her up, she felt like having someone to talk to may be nice.

"I slept with him last night," she said bluntly to the maid. "Senus caught us."

"Oh! I suppose that explains why you have the wand," Diana said, looking away, hoping not to be punished for being so outspoken again.

"Yes, it is. I believe the water is ready. I shall bathe and then call you back for my hair."

Diana nodded, turning off the water and leaving the room, closing the door silently behind her.

Pansy soaked in the bathwater until it grew cold, lavishing the events of the night before and putting aside those from this morning. When she was at last done, she performed the necessary activities for her preparation in the morning, brushing her teeth and the like. She called Diana back in, sitting down in front of the vanity as the maid worked a brush through her hair.

"Did you attend Hogwarts?" Pansy asked, breaking the silence. She had an odd interest in the background of this maid.

"No. I went to a school in the states, in the Northern ones. I moved here two years ago and your mother just hired me a month ago."

Pansy had noticed that Diana's accent was very light, much lighter than anyone's from Hogwarts really.

"Oh. You can't be more than 20 or so," Pansy continued as the brush was smoothed through the last section of her hair.

"Twenty-one, actually," the maid said, beginning to pull the hair up into a careful and perfect bun. She moved to Pansy's fringe, using her wand as a curling iron as she made them into pretty curls.

"Oh," Pansy said quietly. "Are you married?"

"No. I haven't really found anyone," she shrugged softly. "I work here most of the day. I don't have many chances to meet people."

"You could always marry one of the servants," Pansy suggested, not remembering seeing any servants that were particularly attractive, but she hadn't seen that many wandering around.

"I suppose," Diana answered, a bit of color adding to her cheeks. "I don't think they'd be terribly interested."

"Why wouldn't they?" Pansy asked, considering. It couldn't be that she wasn't pureblood. Regina only hired pureblood staff, the poorer ones who had either lost their riches a long time ago or merely never had any fortune.

"I'm very contrary."

The conversation went on as such while Pansy's hair was being pulled back, quite nicely as a matter of fact. She liked it, and Diana seemed satisfied with her work.

Just as Diana was tidying up the style, Regina Parkinson barged in. Pansy felt foolish, for thinking she could get away from being punished by her uptight mother. She looked livid, her cheeks flushed red and her bony fists clenched.

"I cannot believe you!" shouted the woman, ignoring the maid's presence. Diana remained, however, fixing up the hair and not looking towards her boss. "First, I find out you've spent the night, drunk, at a house with a bunch of men you couldn't name on your life, and now, _now_ you sleep with one of them! While your fiancé is one floor down! Have you not the discretion to restrain yourself? Especially with that Malfoy boy!"

Pansy turned her head sharply at her words, but managed to keep herself calm. Respecting your mothers was second to respecting your fathers. And seeing as her father was dead, that bumped Regina up to the top of the list.

"Malfoy boy?" she finally chanced, hoping to not be in trouble for questioning her words.

The repetition only seemed to infuriate Regina more. "Yes, that spoilt little Malfoy boy. Raised by the single most selfish, conceited people on the planet who taught him no way to live on his own!"

"I wasn't taught to live on my own," Pansy blurted, wincing as Diana took a particularly hard pull on her hair.

"But you're a woman. You don't need to learn, because you'll always have a man to do it for you. Or servants."

Pansy wanted to yell, kick, scream, do _anything_ to oppose to horror stricken woman before her. But she remained calm, staring at herself in the mirror to avoid her mother's gaze.

"I expect you will not continue this recklessness. To ensure it, however, you will not be leaving this house until the day of your wedding. Then, I will be assured that Senus will watch your back. I never thought I'd see a reason to call you a whore."

Pansy gasped slightly, turning and ignoring a sharp pain from where Diana was yanked across, ruining her concentration. That was the second time she'd been called a whore that day.

Regina had swept from the room before Pansy could respond, so the girl just sighed, looking back in the mirror.

"Sorry," Diana said quietly, and Pansy merely closed her eyes for a moment.

"It's not your fault. Normally, she'd excuse you."

Diana nodded softly, finishing the hair in silence and fetched the dress that had been picked out by Regina the previous day, helping Pansy into it and then letting her get into the simple, but elegant heels.

"Now, if you'll excuse me Miss, I have some rather important business to attend to in the library," Diana said, grinning a bit mischievously before wandering out of the room and up another flight of stairs.

Pansy watched her go a moment before walking down the stairs, careful to keep her grace. She wanted to see Draco again. To have him kiss her again, and well, you know… How was it she had never noticed him like that before? Unless you count silly crushes of first year. But she had told him when she'd fancied some of the boys in Slytherin, those who weren't part of their little clique, or those who were a year older. Draco had told her when he had an eye for someone, and had dated them as well. She'd walked in on several of his snogging adventures, but rolled her eyes and left. She was sure he hadn't noticed her presence at all.

When she reached the bottom step, she took a left turn and walked into the parlor, seeing Regina there as she guessed.

"When are the bridesmaids expected?" Pansy asked innocently, not planning on being at all kind to her mother for as long as she could manage.

"Six o'clock. I'll see if the seamstress has properly created their dresses, they will stay for dinner, and then I will have some coordinating to do. You, of course, will assist me," Regina responded automatically, not looking up from her paper.

Pansy nodded stiffly, turning and slipping into the library. She didn't have long, but long enough to get some reading done. _A Summer in Paradise_ was an extremely romantic novel about two young teenagers, fourteen, who had fallen in love over the summer. And it wasn't the average, fake love that a lot of young teens said they shared, it was real. And then they'd gone back to their homes for the term. A storm had washed away the homes on the beach, and they didn't see each other. Until ten years later, one married and one engaged, on that beach, looking at the newly built homes. Pansy found herself squirming to see what would happen next.

She had, however, run out of time. It was nearly six, and she knew Regina would be wondering the house looking for her. The Library blocked out noises from the rest of the house. Pansy stood, setting the book back down on the desk and walking out into the corridor, making her way towards the door. Just as she did so, knocks sounded on the door.

Regina wasn't anywhere in sight. Where were the house elves? Sighing exasperatedly, she opened the door. The two bridesmaids stood there, young and somewhat aloof.

"Got you answering the door now, do they?" one of them sneered, stepping inside without the invitation. She slipped off the silk gloves that had encased her hand and looked around, in annoyance, for a place to put them.

"I'll take them," Pansy muttered, taking the gloves from both cousins and placing them on the marble table beside the closet.

"And collecting the over-garments… My, my, sleeping with that Malfoy boy really has gotten you in trouble hasn't it?" the other remarked, lifting her chin.

Pansy tightened her expression, but didn't respond. Pansy tried to remember their names, but it failed her.

"Too bad. We're practically engaged," the first said.

"Engaged?" she asked, dumb-struck.

"As in, to be married, bound, whatever," the girl snapped, shaking her head prissily.

"You're not engaged to him!" Pansy scowled, narrowing her eyes.

"No, not yet, foolish girl. But mother's getting it all arranged."

Footsteps sounded down the stairs, and Regina was the cause of it. She met them at the bottom of the steps, smiling flakily.

"Now now, Dallas, Genevieve, mustn't have you standing her in the foyer for our meeting!" Regina ushered them into the parlor, taking her usual seat in the oversized armchair and smiling politely.

Dallas, the one who was supposedly marrying Draco, sat herself on the silky couch, observing it with a disdainful look.

"I was just telling your daughter about mother's plans to engage me to Mr. Malfoy."

Regina nodded. "Yes, yes, it won't be long now, will it? You two will make an inspiring couple."

"Except for his parents. I'll be the one knocking some sense into Draco before he can actually make it. Honestly, opening a shop! He'll be in the Ministry in no time."

Pansy did all she could not to lash out. She would've been defensive before, but with her feelings for Draco surpassing the 'just friends' level, she wasn't sure she could take it.

"And what of you, Genevieve, who is your mother preparing?" Regina asked, making it sound much like a cooking discussion rather than betrothal.

"Well, I've mentioned a few men, but she hasn't found one she says is quite good enough yet. I'm certain I'll find someone soon enough."

"If only that Zabini boy wasn't married. He is absolutely gorgeous, isn't he?" Genevieve queried, and Dallas nodded in agreement. Pansy just folded her arms over her stomach and glared.

"All right, down to business," her mother stated, and they began. First, the girls modeled their dresses for Regina, who was, luckily, satisfied with the making of them. For their next order of business, they discussed seating charts. Pansy dropped in a few "sounds great" and "wonderful choice" here and there, but other than that, ignored the whole ordeal.

After that, when it was approaching eight-thirty, they talked about decorations. Regina insisted on light flowers, with the soft colors that would look well. Dallas complained that it may look like an Easter wedding. So they changed it up a bit. Genevieve suggested adding some red and hot pink, so they agreed.

At last, when the invitation was designed, the food was decided for the reception, and the bouquet arrangement of flowers was decided, the girls left. It had taken them an outrageous amount of time to design the invitations. Pansy dropped in a few suggestions that were later out ruled.

By eleven, the papers were organized into Regina's study and they had decided to send in their arrangements to the coordinators, designers, and other workers for the preparations to be completed. Pansy entered her room, her legs tired and her eyes drooping. When she entered, Diana was in there.

She started a bit at seeing the young girl in her room, but shook it off and nodded in greeting.

"Sorry to be here so late, Miss, but I have something for you."

Pansy turned, seeing a folded parchment in her hand. Could it be…from him?

"From Master Malfoy, Miss. He put no return address, but the same owl I sent out with his wand returned with this letter. I can only assume."

Pansy couldn't help but grin. "Thank you, Diana."

She reached out, accepting the letter from the maid.

"Goodnight then, Miss," Diana returned the smile lightly, leaving the room.

Pansy rather liked her.

She opened the letter, carefully unfolding it. To her luck, Draco's scrawl was completely noticeable on the parchment in thin black ink. She slipped over to the space beside the fireplace, sitting down beside it and beginning to read.

_Pansy,_

_I must admit I am ashamed of myself. I knew you were engaged, and what he did to you… But I ignored it and went on, making a move on you like I hadn't known you all my life. I did not consider the consequences. I hope he has not hurt you again. I am ashamed as well that I rather enjoyed our rendezvous. I think that all this time, I never realized you were right in front of me. I want to be with you. And I will stop at nothing to achieve it._

_Love,_

_Draco_

He had included love. He had never, ever used that word in any letter written to her. Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute, and she stored the letter underneath a loose floorboard. She noted, also, that her diary from third year was under there too. She didn't have the patience to read it at the moment, anyway. Smiling to herself, she changed into pajamas, letting her hair fall around her face in a very messy look due to be in a bun.

Draco was going to stop at nothing to be with her. Nothing. And Malfoy ambition was trusting ambition, if anyone's was. She was going to be saved from Senus. She had to be.

The next morning, Pansy woke early, bathed, dressed, and did little to her hair and makeup before going to her mother's room.

Regina was still in there, preparing for the day. Pansy walked in, seeing her mother sitting at the vanity mirror, performing charms on her hair.

"Pansy? What do you want?"

"I wish to propose an idea to you," Pansy stated clearly. She had spent half the night coming up with a master plan, and exactly what to say.

"Go on."

"You must promise not to interrupt until I am completely finished."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Fine. Do hurry."

"The Malfoys, despite the dispute between you two that I cannot fully explain, are a wealthy, pureblood family. We used to be close-knit to them, and even if we haven't ever got along with Narcissa and Lucius, they are still one of the purest blooded families out there. Draco is a pureblood, Mother, and he was well raised. I know because I was one of his best friends at Hogwarts. And I wish to be with him," Pansy paused, and Regina opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by more speaking. "Do you want me to be happy, Mother? I can still be wealthy and have pureblood children, just with a different man. And I'll be happy."

There was a long pause, and Regina seemed to be contemplating at first. "No."

Pansy gaped. She thought at least her mother would have taken the time to think over it a few hours. Not four minutes.

"But…Why?"

"Don't you see, Pansy?" Regina began, looking agitated. She set down her wand, standing up. "Have you not gotten to know Senus at all?"

Pansy chose not to answer.

"You have to marry him. No one else will, due to his rather demanding attitude. You have no choice. He has decided that you will be the one to carry his child and Pansy, you will be."

Pansy's expression tightened again. "I don't want to be with him! Can't you just tell him I've found another? We're not married yet!"

"He'll kill you, Pansy," she responded solemnly. "He wants what he has and if he doesn't get it, he's going to kill for it. He'll kill your precious Draco and he'll destroy you. Don't you think I would've called back Steven Reynolds or Joel Gazelle if I didn't think he'd kill you for it?"

Pansy just stared. "I don't understand."

"He raped you, Pansy. For a reason. He was marking his territory, calling you his. Once he's shown that to me, I can't say no. I can't defy him, just as you can't either. If I try, he will threaten me. It's happened before."

"Why can't I defy him? Why do we have to follow them stupid damn rules that some crackpot old woman wrote in the 1800's? It's a new time, Mother! It's time to change! I want to be happy, and I want you to be. If you keep acting like men still rule the world, you're going to suffer. I suffered, Mother. I'm suffering."

Regina shook her head. "You still don't understand. By this time in two months, you will be wed to Senus Yitel. And that's all there is to it."

"Mother!"

"Leave my room."

Pansy glared, closing her mouth and leaving the room with a loud slam on the door behind her.


	8. Sooner than Expected

She spent several hours contemplating her mother's words before sleep. Apparently, Pansy wasn't the only one being dragged into this mess. But why then had Regina been so kind towards Senus, always taking his side? Was he going to kill her if she didn't?

She had so many questions to ask of her mother, but returning after being ordered to leave wasn't going to get her anywhere. She sighed, finally allowing herself to fall asleep. All she did was remind herself that this time yesterday; she'd been with Draco, in his arms… It was a comforting thought.

The next morning, she was woken by a rough shaking by a hand that felt extremely cold, even through the sheets. When her eyes opened, she saw a house elf standing there, looking jittery and frightened.

"Mistress requests your presence downstairs immediately. Mistresses' home has guests."

Guests? What guests could they have at this time? Taking a glance at her clock, she reconsidered. It was nearly eleven. She quickly changed out of her robes and into a dress, not doing anything to her hair and not at all bothering with makeup.

She descended the staircase with little grace, not seeing anyone in the foyer. She decided they were in the parlor then, as that was where most of the guests were taken. On her way, she combed her fingers through her hair, managing to make it look halfway descent. Or so she hoped.

Once she opened the door, three heads looked up. It was Regina, Senus, and Draco. Why on Earth was he here? Didn't he realize what he had gotten her into? Surely this wasn't his idea of making it up to her!

"Pansy! Good, you're awake," Regina said, her voice sounding quite relieved for Pansy to have come.

"What's this about?" Pansy asked, stepping into the room and glancing at the members of it. Senus looked stony-faced and angry, while Draco seemed rather calm.

"Sit, sit," her mother ordered, and Pansy took a seat in one of the armchairs.

She took a look towards Draco, and he smirked, the trademark Malfoy smirk, at her. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute, not to mention she felt extremely weary from lack of sleep. She hadn't slept until quite late at night, or early in the morning, and eleven o'clock simply wasn't long enough.

"Mr. Malfoy has come to ask if he may _date_ you," Senus announced, and Pansy paled visibly. He said it with sarcasm, as if Draco was a stupid child.

"Only because I get the feeling Pansy is unhappy with you. I am seeking her best interests at heart," Draco snapped back, restraining himself. Pansy wondered if he was doing all he could not to attack the man.

"Get the feeling? Yeah, that's original," her fiancé replied, sarcasm blatantly evident in his tone.

"I've tried to tell him you're already spoken for," Regina attempted to interject.

"And I've told her I know that," Draco interrupted, looking irritated.

"But he just won't give up," Senus finished, and Pansy found her head spinning involuntarily.

"I don't see what he wants," her mother mumbled, siding with Senus. Pansy no longer had to question why she did this.

"I want to ensure your happiness," Draco directed to her. She felt a wave of warm wash over her as he said this, but attempted to brush it off.

"Pansy and I are engaged, kid," Senus snarled. "She is marrying me, and that's all there is to it. Get over it and find someone else to stalk."

Draco paled, paler than usual, and glared. His fists clenched, and his jaw tightened. Being called 'kid' would have upset any grown man.

"And I am proposing a compromise."

Senus looked only angrier. "I will hear of no such thing."

"Listen for a moment, you pompous git," Draco insulted him, which only made Senus more furious, but it quieted him. "My mother is considering engaging me to one of Pansy's cousins, Dallas I believe. I have no intention to accept the betrothment, but wondered if perhaps you would. Call it a trade, among _men_."

He added the last bit with a sharp tinge to his voice. Senus did not even take the time to think of it, and Pansy's glimpse of hope faded.

"No! I am going to marry Pansy, and you will do nothing about it."

Pansy couldn't mistake the expression on Regina's face, as it was the same as Pansy's. Disappointment.

"You will leave this house at once, Malfoy," Senus demanded, standing up and pointing one rough finger towards the door. "And if you choose to speak with Pansy or engage in any sort of interaction between you two, I will see to it that she pays for your choices."

Draco looked over to Pansy, and she cast him a dangerous warning look. If he didn't leave at that moment, she was paying for it. He took the hint and left with a sharp slam of the door.

Another slap across the cheek. This one stung far worse, and she clutched her cheek. Luckily, she had not lost her balance in the blow.

"This is what I get! You sleep with him, and I allow you to go by unscathed. But you simply can't let it stop there, can you? One of the house elves has reported to me that they saw an owl arrive with a letter from him. I hope you never received it."

She nodded swiftly, admitting that telling him the truth would give her an instant death wish.

"Regina, is there any way we can make this wedding come swifter?" Senus asked, and her mother turned sharply.

She seemed to contemplate for a moment before responding. "Of course. We have three months until it, but it can be downsized to perhaps, two?"

"I was thinking one," he corrected her in a snappy tone.

"One? I will see if it can be arranged."

Senus seemed satisfied for the moment. He stared at her for a moment before sighing in exasperation. "Get to it!"

Regina, looking surprised, stood up and exited the room with a gentle clasp of the door.

Senus looked at Pansy for a moment, a hard expression on his visage before he left just as swiftly as Draco had. She peered out the window, seeing him apparate from the porch. A sigh of relief left her as she stood up, hurrying upstairs to prepare for her bath.

Once she was finished, she dressed to see that Diana was waiting in her room, wand in hand.

"Afternoon, Miss," Diana began, looking up when Pansy entered. She had a comfortable expression, nothing showing sadness nor happiness.

"Afternoon," Pansy replied, seating herself and allowing Diana to get started on her hair.

"I heard about this morning."

Pansy looked to the maid, who smiled lightly. "One of the servants said they were fighting over you like wild dogs."

She felt heat rush to her cheeks. "Not quite wild dogs… I suppose they were arguing."

Diana's grin broadened. "Personally, I hope Draco wins. But I can't say who will."

"I hope he does too… Mother's scared of Senus, which is why she won't let me marry Draco. You should've seen her, she looked terrified today."

Diana performed a drying charm on her hair. "I would be too. That man is frightening."

There was a silence, while a straightening charm was performed and then Pansy spoke up.

"So you said you heard about it from a servant? Any certain one?"

Diana seemed bashful for a moment, a blush rising to her cream colored cheeks.

"Well… Perhaps."

Pansy grinned. She had always been a tomboy in school, but every girl couldn't help a bit of talking like this every so often. She couldn't say she minded it, and knew the little excitement in her was for Diana. All her life, she'd been taught to treat the maids like house elves, lowly and beneath you. But Diana seemed so normal. Someone Pansy could turn to in her imprisonment.

"What's his name?" Pansy asked curiously. Diana seemed to be performing pointless charms on Pansy's hair, distracted.

"Ryan."

She was blushing now, having stopped working on the hair to mindlessly twirl a bit of her own brown hair around her finger.

"Ryan what? I can request that he work in the same place you are."

Pansy felt the odd want to perform a nice deed towards her maid, who had delivered Draco's wand to him. Besides, she liked Diana.

"I…Er… Ryan Dwell," Diana blushed a bit more, slipping her wand into the folds of her robes.

Pansy began applying the everyday makeup to her cheeks, eyes, and lips. "I'll do a bit of rearranging with the work tables then. Where do you normally clean and such?"

"I do cleaning charms on the Owlery until you wake, when I'm to come and help you into dress and do your hair and such… Then I go down to the lower level and…" Diana explained each chore she did on different days of the week in the lower level. On Monday, she polished the trophies in the trophy room and cleaned the face of paintings that were covered by glass. She also dusted the frames and cleaned the floor. Each day, she performed different tasks in the lower level and second level.

"You'll find it all on my work table, I believe," Diana finished just as Pansy applied the last bit of makeup.

"I'll get to it," Pansy promised, standing up and straightening the gown, taking one last look in the full-length mirror before heading upstairs.

She entered the servant's quarters, which were quiet and cramped. She had to ask a young male servant where the work tables were kept, and he directed her to a room at the far right of the corridor. Once she entered, she searched through the files until she found Diana's, with a picture of her pretty young face smiling and looking around on the front.

She pulled out the papers, and then searched for Ryan Dwell's folder. Once it was found, she matched them, leaving a note on the notice board that Ryan Dwell's schedule had been changed due to lack of help in an area. It sounded innocent. She signed her name at the bottom, informing them it was important, and left.

Days were passing by quickly. Regina had managed to make the wedding in one month, and Senus was satisfied. She hadn't heard at all from Draco, not that she knew what he'd say. There wasn't anything he could do. She was doomed to marry Senus. But having not seen him for almost a week, she was in a fairly good mood.

"You seem happy today, Miss," Diana noted as she organized Pansy's hair into elegant curls.

"I am," Pansy smiled. Diana could not drop the habit of calling her 'Miss' and Pansy didn't bother with trying to get her to.

"Might I inquire as to why?"

Pansy shrugged simply. "Senus hasn't stopped by for seven days in counting. Besides, I've been formulating a way to sneak out to Millicent's wedding." It was halfway through June, and Millicent's wedding was on the 16th of August.

"Won't you be married then?" Diana asked, nearly finished with Pansy's hair.

"Yes. But I doubt that Senus will allow me to attend the wedding if I didn't have enough reasons to back it up. I plan to tell him that all the high-class people will be there and if we don't show our social status will drop. And if he doesn't buy that, I'll promise him something naughty."

Diana giggled. "For a man like him, even suggesting something naughty, he'd make you do it. I bet the first will work."

"Probably. So, about Ryan… How's his new area been working for him?" Pansy queried a half smirk on her features.

"Oh, well, he's needed lots of showing around and help. He isn't used to the lower levels. I told him I could give him a complete detailed explanation of the process over dinner sometime," Diana told her with a shrug.

"So you asked him out."

Diana looked a bit surprised at first. "What? No."

"Yep, you did," Pansy grinned. "You asked him to dinner."

"It's strictly business. I wasn't even thinking… D' you think he likes me?" the maid asked worriedly, her tug on Pansy's hair becoming a bit tighter.

Pansy winced, and the grip was released. "He said yes, didn't he?"

Diana squealed, and then covered her mouth, hoping Regina had not heard.

Once her hair was finished, Pansy thanked Diana as she did every day and headed for her mother's room.

She knocked a few times on the door before Regina's voice called her in. Pansy entered, seating herself in one of the scattered chairs.

"Pansy, you will be going to Diagon Alley with Senus today," her mother began.

Pansy's face fell. "With Senus?" she repeated, sounding downstruck.

"Yes, with Senus. He's your fiancé, after all," Regina snapped sharply, beginning to apply her makeup in the vanity mirror.

"Right…"

"Anyway, he'll be by in a few minutes. You've got to order the bouquets and pick up the shoes. I decided the last ones just won't work. I have the order for the shoes in already; all you have to do is pick them up. The flowers are specified on this paper," she reached into her drawer, brandishing a folded parchment. "And then I suppose he will take you to lunch."

Pansy nodded, taking the paper and clutching it tightly in her hand. "And why are you not doing this?"

"I have prior engagements," she snarled, quite obviously hiding something. Pansy decided not to pry and stood up.

She heard the door open from downstairs, concluding that Senus had let himself in. She hurried towards the stairs and didn't bother to be graceful as she descended them, meeting him at the bottom.

"Ready?" he asked, taking a glance over her appearance.

She nodded simply, going out to the porch. "I'll meet you outside the Leaky Cauldron," she suggested, and he nodded.

With two quiet _'pops_', they arrived outside the pub and started towards the Florist Shop down the road a ways. Senus rambled on and on about some big occurrence at work that kept him from visiting all week and Pansy listened with half an ear. A part of her wished Draco was in town that day. But he wasn't.

They picked up the flowers, having them transported to home with a few galleons to a man behind the counter. Next, they headed for the shoe shop. It was there that she was a familiar face, in the shop. It wasn't Draco, but Millicent. A grin spread to her features, knowing that her engaged friend had received an invitation and she had seen her name crossed off the RSVP list, meaning she'd already agreed to come.

Millicent didn't look up when the doorbell chimed, instead surveying a pair of shoes and the price.

Senus glared at Pansy, seeing her interests quite obviously on something other than him. And he couldn't see who it was she was infatuated with.

When they passed by Millicent towards the counter, Pansy tapped her shoulder and the shopping woman turned, her face showing a toothy smile.

"Pansy!" she gasped, running over to her. She definitely was losing weight. Maybe even too much to be healthy. Pansy shrugged it off, glad for her friend. Glad she was finally losing her man-like weight problem.

"Whose this?" Senus demanded lowly, crossing his arms and looking terribly bored.

"Oh, Millicent, this is Senus Yitel, my fiancé. And Senus, this is Millicent Bullstrode. An old friend from school."

"Pleasure to meet you," Millicent greeted politely, shaking his hand. He refused to kiss it.

Millicent seemed unperturbed, perhaps a bit relieved.

Senus looked disdainfully around the shop. "I'll get the order."

He seemed glad for a chance to get away and went over towards the counter, joining the back of the line but eyeing the two girls carefully.

"So that's the one your mum tied you to, then?" Millicent asked eagerly, glancing at him as well. "He's a tad stiff, you know, but seems all right."

Pansy's gaze tightened slightly. "He's cocky, arrogant, self-centered, mean, and thinks he's Merlin's gift."

"Oh?" Millicent raised an eyebrow. "Picky little bugger, aren't you?"

"He raped me, Millie."

There was a silence, and Millicent paled rather visibly. She contemplated pulling Pansy into a giant hug, but reconsidered. If Senus saw them doing that—surely he would suspect…?

"Then how can you be so…calm? So normal?" she asked, looking to Pansy expectantly.

Pansy smiled a little. "I've seen Draco. A few times, actually. He…um…well, I slept with him. And now I'm under very strict punishment for it, since Senus caught us, but well, he came and asked my mother to date me. Attempted all these clever word tricks with him, but nothing changed."

"Draco? I never really saw you two together. I mean, it was odd when he asked you to the ball. I always thought Blaise was going to do it—you know he liked you for years."

Pansy blushed. "How come everyone else noticed but me?"

Millicent shrugged, sneaking a glance over at Senus. "I don't know. Surely Draco can do something…"

"No, there's nothing. I've been thinking about it for days. The only way is risking disownment, and well, you very well know I can't do that."

Millie nodded, seeing Crabbe tap impatiently on the window of the shop. "He won't come in here, saying he'll look like an idiot." She giggled slightly, blowing a kiss to the man at the window, which only made him more annoyed.

"I better go. You think that stiff's going to let you come to my wedding?"

"Yeah, I think so. I've been thinking of a few ways, and I'm going to trick him into it," Pansy replied, waving slightly at Crabbe who rolled his eyes.

Millicent hugged her slightly before slipping out of the shop, joining Crabbe and walking down the street.

Pansy sighed, turning towards Senus who had just picked up the shoes and was headed towards her.

"Come, let's go for lunch," Senus told her, not as a request but as a command. She ought to be used to it by now, but he was truly not a gentleman at all. She vaguely remembered her first impression of him, handsome and all right. How wrong she'd been.

He thrust the bag into her hands and led her to a completely different restaurant, hoping to avoid any more encounters with any of her friends from Hogwarts. Especially Draco.

About forty-five minutes of pretending to listen while Senus rambled, Pansy was finished eating. A stout looking man approached them, severely balding with small, rounded eyes.

"Miss Parkinson?"

She lifted her head, nodding. "Yes?"

"I 'ave a letter 'ere for your Mum. Mind giving it to 'er, for me?"

"I don't mind," She responded, accepting the letter. It had no return address, but she didn't feel much like poking around in it.

"It's rather urgent," the man insisted. "I do hope you were planning on 'eading 'ome, because that's really got to get to 'er."

"Of course," Pansy slipped the letter into an inner pocket of her dress, smiling politely at the man who waved lightly and headed back to his table, sporting a limp.

"I've got to work," Senus announced, standing up and paying for the meal. "But I'll drop you off home."

She nodded, expecting that he wanted her to be home and not go wandering around to Draco's home or something.

He apparated to the Manor with her then left her with out any goodbye. She didn't truly mind, pulling out the letter and headed for the parlor.

"Mother?" she called, opening the door. Nobody was in sight, except a scrawny house elf dusting the furniture. "Have you seen my Mother?"

"No, ma'am," the elf squeaked, looking terrified.

Pansy headed off towards her study, not finding her there either. Where could she be? Grasping the letter tightly, she checked her father's study, the library, the kitchen, the backyard, everywhere.

"Excuse me, have you seen Madam Parkinson?" Pansy asked a handsome looking servant. Actually, he was really rather gorgeous. He had speckled blue eyes and dark brown hair, tanned skin and a fairly good build.

"I saw her last in her bedroom, Miss," he responded with a low tone.

A thought came to her mind. "What's your name?"

"Ryan Dwell, Miss."

Pansy grinned to herself, hurrying away from him and towards her mother's bedroom. She heard no noises come from inside, except perhaps whispering. But whatever it was that was being said, Pansy couldn't decipher it.

She creaked open the door, peeking in. No movement. Where was she?

She leaned in, sighing exasperatedly. A figure sat up straight in the bed, looking horrified.

He had a bit of grey in his hair, though not too much, and lines under his eyes from being tired. Other than that, he looked rather young.

Wait…Didn't she recognize him? Wasn't he…

"Remus, what is it?" her mother called from in the bathroom.

Professor Lupin?


	9. One Day To Mrs

Pansy stared, in awe, of the situation unfolding before her. At first, she just stared rather blankly at her old Professor, sitting in her bed with a bare chest showing. Obviously, she felt safe to assume what had gone on. She quite remembered actually enjoying his lessons, as had Draco, but he had refused to admit it only because Potter liked them.

Her mother appeared from the bathroom, wearing an extremely inappropriate slip that made Pansy turn her gaze back to the man in the bed.

"Oh!" Regina gasped, grabbing a nearby robe and throwing it onto herself.

Pansy, now deciding it was clear, looked over to her mother. "Him?"

Regina looked confused. She cast a glance at the man in her bed and then back to her daughter. "What do you mean?"

"Out of all the people you could've chose, you chose _him_?"

She threw the letters down to the floor in a rage. "He's a bloody werewolf! For Merlin's sake, you're not going to let me marry and perfectly well-off pureblood and you're sleeping with a _monster!"_

"Now, Pansy," Professor Lupin began, but Pansy silenced him with the most menacing stare she could possibly muster.

"It's different for me," Regina attempted to explain, advancing towards her daughter.

"Oh? Is it? I'd give twenty galleons to anyone who could tell me WHY," Pansy growled, folding her arms.

"I've already produced a child to carry on the family blood. My engagements are far less important than yours, merely because I've taken care of what need be done and now, I can do as I wish."

Pansy drew her hand against the wall, hitting it with such a force that she couldn't even feel the pain.

"What happened to all that damn 'respect men', 'women are inferior', 'love is an oxymoron' stuff? What about that? You can respect a man like him! He's the enemy, mother!"

"The enemy of what? Voldemort? He's dead, Pansy, I know you know that. We have no side, because there is no side to take," Regina stated, far more confident in herself than she had been to begin with.

"No, not the enemy of You-Know-Who! For all we know, he could be a muggle-born, or isn't he? You're fooling around with the people I've been raised to despise!" Pansy bellowed, not caring if her voice was heard all around the world.

Remus had, fortunately, gathered his clothes and dressed. "Pansy, please, just listen."

"NO! I'm tired of listening! I'm tired of being bossed around! I hate knowing that every second of my life is being planned by someone else! WHY THE HELL CAN'T I DO WHAT I WANT?"

Regina laid a hand on Pansy's shoulder, but she pushed it off with such force that Regina slung back a few feet.

"Because, you've been raised to act as you should. To respect superiors, to live life as it should be! And yes, I'm breaking the rule, but you can't. There are different circumstances and punishments. It's not like you haven't cheated on your fiancé twice, or probably more," her mother barked, tossing a glance at Lupin.

"You're living in the 18th century. People aren't like that anymore! Women are on the Wizengamot, in the Ministry, owning their own businesses and marrying at will. Parents consent isn't important anymore, so why must I live like it is?"

"Because it is dignified. Ladies are not truly ladies unless they act as we do. Now go and occupy yourself with something else. But do not leave this house," Regina warned, holding a threatening finger out to her.

"I don't want to be dignified! I'm only eighteen, I want to act like that."

Her mother just sent an incredibly dangerous stare. In a sweep of robes, she had left the room and entered her own.

Lupin? Professor Lupin? How could her mother degrade herself from someone as absolutely perfect as Orion to someone as absolutely imperfect as that werewolf? Did she not consider what she was getting herself into?

It had begun to rain outside, and Pansy tried to calm herself by watching it pelt the window. But she couldn't. She couldn't hold it in.

In frustration, she left the room and hurried down the steps, walking out into the rain. In the mere seconds she stood out there, it had begun to ruin her hair. She apparated, landing quite a few feet away from a home.

By then, black streaks were pouring down her face from makeup and her hair was a frizzy, wavy mess. The bottom of her dress was coated with mud, as well as her shoes, as she waded through the wet towards the door.

She knocked as many times as she could before it opened, revealing a man looking to be about his thirties. A tad plump, but other than that, good-looking.

"Come in, Miss," he instructed, taking a look at her appearance and allowing her in.  
She nodded, walking in and trying to ignore that water was pooling beneath her feet on the marble.

The servant asked her to wait a moment before walking towards a door to the right, poking his head in.  
"Master Malfoy," she heard him say, "you have a visitor."

A few moments later, Draco appeared from the door. He took a look at her, frowning.  
"Pansy, you look terrible. Aren't you not supposed to be here?"

She didn't respond, just stared at him. And in a daze, she sniffed loudly, everything seeming rather fizzy around her. That was all she remembered before she fainted.

"Pansy?"

Someone was talking to her, but she was too aware of her beating headache to respond. The voice seemed blurry, like a dream.

"Pansy, are you awake?"

It was definitely not her imagination. Someone was trying to bother her. Annoyed, she opened her eyes, only to see Draco sitting over her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, brushing hair from her face.

She sat up, seeing the foyer of Draco's home before her. In a rush, the memories flooded back. She'd fainted onto his floor. Groaning miserably, she ran her hand over her face, only to draw it away with black on it.  
"Oh, I look terrible," she moaned as the memories of Lupin and her mother poured back.

"No, you look fine."

And just as quickly as she had fainted, she was crying. It was too much. She had never cried so often in her life and didn't think she was going to start then. But everything was falling apart. She had less than a month until she married Senus, her mother was sleeping with Lupin, and she had finally fallen in love only to have it torn away from her.

She didn't even notice when his arms slid around her and pulled her into a tight embrace, too busy crying softly. It soon became more, and she was full-out sobbing really.

"Pansy, shh…" he attempted to soothe her, but to little avail.  
"You remember Professor Lupin?" she sniffed, stifling a sob against him.

"Yes," he replied, and she was grateful he hadn't added any insults after it. Even if he'd liked him, he wasn't going to admit it. Pansy knew that.

"He's sleeping with my mother."

Draco pulled away for a moment, looking rather flabbergasted. "Odd. He's hardly human."

"I know… I don't think she realizes what she's doing. All this talk about me being unfaithful and stupid for seeing you, but she's off doing Lupin," Pansy shuddered, her voice still a bit shakey. She was quite aware of how awful she looked. But he had seen her worse during school, when she'd come back from falling face-flat in the mud or when she had her hair cut roughly below her ears in fifth year.

"It's disgusting, really," Draco muttered, pulling her back to him.

"It is," she repeated softly, feeling rather overcome by tiredness. And her head still hurt a bit from fainting… She was going to be married in such a short time…

"Draco, Senus has made the wedding in a month," she broke the silence and Draco tensed.

"A month? I really despise him… I just want to hex his fucking head off."

Pansy pulled away, wiping off her cheeks. "Me too… You don't think there's anyway you could come, do you?"

"Maybe with a bit of Polyjuice Potion… But it takes a month to make, and I don't think I'll have the ingredients in a week. I haven't time," he sighed, chewing on his lip. She noticed he did this quite often when he was nervous.

"It's at the Brooke Event Hall. I'd feel better if you were there. Or worse. I don't know."

"Are you sure it's all right to be here?" he asked, examining her cheek. "Won't your mother send the werewolf on you or something?

"I shouldn't be here, I know. But I had to go somewhere. To get away from that stupid hag and her half-human lover. I just want to die."

Draco looked appalled. "No, you don't. Pansy, promise me you won't commit suicide."

"Of course I wouldn't. Why die when there could be something better on the way?"

He smiled in reassurance, rubbing her shoulder. "You're cold. Come on, let's go get you cleaned up."

She nodded, and he helped her up the stairs and to his bedroom. After the maid wiped up her face and fixed up her hair, Pansy felt much better.

"You probably need to get back."

Pansy sighed, uncurling from her place against his side as he read the _Daily Prophet_.

"I don't want to," she whined quietly, closing her eyes again.

"I know… But I don't want you in any more trouble than you're already in," he advised, standing up and pulling her up with him. "The rain has stopped. I'll try and get an owl to you."

"Address it to Diana, and don't put a return address."

He looked confused for a moment, but shrugged it off. "All right. Go."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek briefly before apparating.

When she arrived home, she started up the stairs quietly, only to hear a barking voice from the parlor call her in.

"Pansy! In!"

She groaned, turning around and walking into the room, prepared to hold the meanest glare she could towards her mother. But she soon found out that it was not only her in the room. It was Senus, her grandparents on her mother's side, and her two aunts, Aunt Winnie and Aunt Laiana.

"Err," Pansy began inarticulately as she stood in the doorway.

"Well, sit down," her grandmother motioned to an empty chair.

Pansy nodded, moving over and sitting down. She was in no mood to be polite. "What are you all doing here?"

"We're here on wedding matters," Aunt Winnie announced haughtily. "RSVP checks on whose going and who's not, that sort of thing."

"Oh."

"We've got about two-hundred going and only about twenty refused, so far," the uptight woman continued. "We need your dear Senus to look over them."

"So what do you need me for?" Pansy asked impolitely, casting a look to Senus. He looked disgruntled.

"Just want to make sure you'll keep family secrets to yourself and no one else," Regina stepped in. "I have a feeling you told someone, since you disappeared from the house, and I have a pretty good idea who it was. Now, all I ask is that you keep this silent, so your own secrets will be kept silent as well."

Pansy couldn't believe her mother wasn't going to punish her for seeing Draco. She didn't even mention his name. Surely her aunts and grandparents didn't know Remus had been here, and Senus wouldn't…

"What're you babbling about, Reg?" Aunt Laiana asked. She was the most laid-back of all her family members. Still not exactly fun to be around, but she could be okay every once in a while.

"Nothing, nothing," her mother whisked off the conversation. "Anyway, Pansy, you have a rehearsal for the wedding and then the dinner following it. We were going to have a bridal shower, but it's too much with the wedding being so close. The rehearsal is this Saturday."

Pansy nodded glumly. She officially hated anything to do with marriage.

"You may go."

_Gladly_, Pansy thought to herself as she left the room and went off to her bedroom. She sat down in front of the vanity, wondering where Diana was.

As if on queue, one of the maids walked in. However, it wasn't the one her mind had been on.

"Where's my usual maid?"

The woman looked up, a bit startled that Pansy actually remembered who kept track of her hair.

"Err…" the maid began inarticulately. "Diana?"

"Yeah," Pansy answered mildly. "I'd like her to handle my hair, if you don't mind."

"Um…All right. I'll find her."

The maid left the room as quickly as she could.

Pansy stood up, walking over to her dresser and opening the second drawer. In it were the pajamas that she had worn out of Draco's house. She brought them to her face, breathing in the scent. It reminded her of him.

A few minutes later, Diana hurried in. She looked a bit disheveled, as her cuffs were undone and her hair which was usually pulled back tightly in a bun at the nape of her neck was sloppily done.

"You all right?" Pansy asked, surprising herself. She was actually quite concerned about a maid. It hadn't sunk in, the whole friendship with an inferior thing.

"Fine," Diana said quietly, pulling off a smile.

Pansy went to her vanity and sat down, waiting patiently while the maid began untangling her hair. There wasn't much to do, but Draco's maid had cleaned her up a bit carelessly.

"You seem a bit…distracted," Pansy noted, raising an eyebrow into the reflection of the mirror. Diana noticed.

"Do I?" She attempted to sound unconcerned, but her voice came out more of a squeak.

Pansy eyed her carefully in the mirror. Was there something she was missing? Suddenly, something lit up in her mind.

"Seen Ryan lately?"

Diana blushed so darkly, Pansy thought it looked like she'd gotten an extremely bad sunburn. She didn't even respond and tugged a bit hard on Pansy's fragile strands.

"Oh, sorry," the maid muttered, running the comb through the pulled area. "I…um…saw him a bit…"

"A bit?" Pansy interrogated, raising her eyebrow accusingly.

"Well, fine, I was sort of with him when Hannah came in saying you needed me…"

"With him? As in…"

Diana blushed even darker, her ears a startling crimson. "As in cleaning one of the spare bedrooms."

Pansy couldn't help but giggle. She launched into her tale of seeing Draco today, and how much better she felt after it had happened.

Diana's blush had hardly faded when she bid goodnight to Pansy and left the room.

It left her wondering what it would be like to be a maid. Pansy crawled into bed and laid her head on the pillow with the thoughts still bustling around in her mind.

When Saturday rolled around, Pansy was awoken early to take a long bath. She did, feeling relaxed and sleepy when she came out and was dressed by Diana. It was a silk gown, fitted to perfection and lighting her creamy pale skin with its faded pink flourish.

Diana set straight to work on her hair, pulling it into a complicated but rather charming bun at the back of her head, curls and turns and folds making it look as though it had been done by a professional and not the common maid. Makeup was done next, and a different maid did that while Diana searched for Pansy's shoes.

"I can't believe they've been lost!" Regina wailed inside Pansy's room, watching as the maid carefully applied each bit of makeup to her face.

"Found them!" Diana nearly shouted from inside the closet, pummeling out with a pair of white heels. They had creamy straps and were nice shoes.

"Oh, thank Merlin," Regina continued, snatching them out of the maid's hands and dusting them off, as if the maid had left some sort of scum on it.

Time was passing a lot quicker than Pansy realized. Once her shoes were on, it was nearly time to get to the rehearsal. What she didn't understand was why she had to dress up for a rehearsal… If not the party afterwards.

When she arrived, most of the wedding party was gathered. The preacher looked a bit annoyed at their tardiness, but Regina reminded him exactly how much he was being paid. After that, he seemed cheerful.

The rehearsal went smoothly, only a few problems of walking too fast down the aisle and Dallas stumbling because her outfit was too long for her short legs.

At last, after what seemed like days, Regina was satisfied. The rehearsal dinner was being held at the Manor, so the wedding party was rushed back to it. They had only a few minutes before the first guest arrived. There weren't that many people coming. Mostly just Dallas's close family and the other wedding party member's families.

And after that, days were going by in a blur. Pansy had to have her hair heaved in different styles hour after hour so Regina could decide which she liked best. And she had yet to decide. Pansy preferred one in which her hair was pulled into curls, with curly strands hanging down on either side of her face. Not that it really mattered, she reminded herself. She was only getting ready for Senus.

It was so close. The last day before she became a married woman. No party held by her friends, since she was prohibited to see any of them. Life was at its lowest level. Tomorrow, she'd be Mrs. Senus Yitel. And she stayed up all night being scared to death of her wedding night. After all, she was expected to…to…you know, be with him in their bed that night.

No. Draco was going to come. He'd save her. He'd be her knight in shining armor. She knew it.


	10. The Dreaded Day

She didn't sleep at all that night. With every time she adjusted positions for comfort, she thought of a new way Draco could come in and save the day. She had told him where it was and everything… Couldn't he just get his father to get him an Invisibility cloak? At least then he could sneak into the ceremony and zap Senus into a thousand pieces.

But each sounded just as unlikely as the next. Senus had planted guards all over the wedding, some even disguised as guests. He was worried, she knew it, that Draco would come and spoil his transaction. Pansy had decided that a transaction suited it better than a wedding, since he was only marrying her to get his hands on the money she had in her Gringott's vault.

When the sun started to rise, Pansy reasoned that it was no use trying to sleep. She didn't feel at all tired, but was certain it'd kick in later. She'd have to take some kind of draught to keep her awake, but she'd worry about that later.

First, she got up and soaked in a hot bath for almost an hour, wanting to stay in there for the rest of her life. She could miss the wedding and everything, just to soak in a steaming bathtub. The water had begun to grow cold, so she got out and quickly pulled on a slip. She didn't plan on getting dressed much, since she was just going to change into her wedding dress.

She could hear the bustle of movement in the home, just slightly. Maids and servants got up early to get things ready. And what with the reception being held at the Parkinson Manor, they had to make things perfect.

By seven, she heard a pounding on her door that distracted her from combing her hair. Without waiting for a response, the door opened and her mother entered, looking groggy.

"The wedding is at six this evening, as you know," Regina began. "You are forbidden to leave this house today. There are plenty of things you have to get done. Now, come down, breakfast is nearly ready. And put something on…you look like a skank."

With that said her mother exited the room and shut the door with a snap.

Feeling rebellious, Pansy pulled on the black silk pajama pants that she had accidentally taken from Draco. She left the slip on as a top and headed down to breakfast. This was the first morning in years that she had not come to the table wearing a fancy dress with her hair and makeup done.

Pansy seated herself, placing the cloth napkin on her lap merely out of habit. Her mother looked up from the _Daily Prophet_.

"Renadele will be coming over to do your hair and makeup. I've hired a few professionals to give you some face masks, manicures, pedicures, that sort of thing. And then Halle will be coming over to do last minute adjustments on your dress. You've been losing weight, and I'm worried it won't be tight enough."

"Or that it actually will fit me, and not suck the air from my lungs," Pansy retorted quietly, munching on eggs and biscuits.

Regina pretended not to have heard her, carrying on with her reading as usual.

As soon as breakfast was over, a few women came over dressed in frilly, brightly colored dresses and a bit too much makeup on. They led Pansy into one of the spare bedrooms, which they had converted into somewhat of a beauty parlor. At least they hadn't transformed her father's study.

"Such a pretty lass, she is," one of the odd-looking ladies announced in a heavy Scottish brogue, scrounging around the makeshift parlor for something.

"That she is! We'll use the green mask then, yeah?" the other replied, pulling up a batter of quite disgusting looking mixture. Pansy felt the need to wretch, because it wouldn't look much different.

The larger of the women grabbed Pansy's hair in a fist and tied it at the back of her head with a ribbon, keeping it out of her face.

The other woman didn't waste any time shoving the disgusting paste onto Pansy's face, rubbing it in and layering it.

"Now, ten minutes will do it." She set down the bowl and smiled toothily at her.

"What?" Pansy snapped cruelly, in no mood to be friendly. Especially to someone who'd just shoved puke looking stuff onto her face.

"It's just…I remember my wedding. You must be so excited!" the smaller, though not small, woman had tears pricking her eyes. Pansy rolled her own, glaring tightly at them.

"I'm not," she replied gruffly. The women pretended not to hear her, and Pansy was beginning to get annoyed. Whenever she snapped or said something out of order, she was just being ignored. A step up from being yelled at, but it was still weird.

Ten minutes passed in a flash, and the women scraped the goop off her face and put it in the rubbish bin, cleaning off the last bit with a washcloth.

Pansy brought a hand up to her face, surprised to have it feel extremely smooth.

"This next one's for your pores. Some ladies get a bit nervous on days like this, such magnificent occasions, that they end up sprouting pimples. And we can't have that, can we?" the larger woman grinned, revealing a bowl of soup looking goop this time, purple in color. Pansy felt the need to wretch again.

This one was applied much smoother, and it dried within seconds of touching her face. Before long, she had a few layers of dried stuff on her.

"Another ten minutes, but don't talk. You'll break the mask if you open your mouth."

Pansy did as she was told, glad for an excuse not to have to the odd women for at least ten minutes. When it finally passed by, the women peeled off the dried mask and tossed it away to. Once a quick dabbing on her face by the wash cloth had been performed, Pansy reached up and touched her face again. It almost felt like fabric, it had become so soft.

"All done here," the women said in tandem, grinning like maniacs as they gathered their things and scurried from the room.

Pansy took her time in coming downstairs, letting her hair out of the painful knot that the other woman had pulled it into.

Regina was waiting down the stairs, with an Asian woman who smiled lightly.

"This is Huin. She's going to give you a manicure and pedicure," Regina told her, looking disdainful of the girl beside her. Her mother had always been a racist, but Pansy didn't care.

She went back upstairs into the spare room, watching in boredom as Huin conjured a chair, which had a little tub at the bottom of it. She sat down, her feet falling into the tub. In seconds, it was filled with steaming warm water.

Huin set straight to work, first removing the calluses from her feet and trimming the nails. It took her almost an hour to perfect them, finishing the last bit of polish and running cold water over them, which apparently helped them dry. A drying spell was dangerous for it, because it might smear the polish.

She had to sit barefoot over at another table while Huin went straight to work on her hands.

"You have rough hands," the girl said in perfect English. "Sort of like a man's."

Pansy wasn't sure if she should be insulted or not. "Err... I used to be sort of a tomboy, you could say. Until I graduated."

Huin didn't look very interested. "I see."

And that was all the conversation they had. It took her just as long on her fingernails as it had her toenails, and they matched perfectly. It was nearly ten-thirty, and Pansy was glad to have a little break. Renadele had owled to say she had to pick up some more eyeliner, so she'd be late.

"Well, let me see," Regina barked madly, snatching Pansy's hand and observing the job. It was absolutely perfect. "Hm. Very well. Huin, I will have your pay delivered to you by mail."

The girl nodded simply, bowing her head and leaving the house.

"What's left?" Pansy asked, eager to end the primping. Little did she know, it had hardly begun.

"Renadele will take care of your hair and makeup, and then Halle will fix up your dress. Then you have to pose for photographs, and then it will be nearly time to get to the hall," Regina listed off, letting Pansy's hand go at last.

Pansy groaned miserably. Regina ignored it, as Pansy suspected she would.

"I'll just go read then," Pansy muttered, getting up and leaving the room. She turned up to the servant's quarters, finding Diana quickly and directing her back to Pansy's room.

"I'm doomed," she groaned to the housemaid who had earned her friendship over time.

"No, not quite… Draco has a chance. And even if you marry Senus, well, he'll be busy with work. You can always be with Draco."

Pansy sat down in her vanity seat. "Draco will get tired of not being able to marry, and have kids. He'll be lonely, and it'll end in no time."

Diana looked sympathetic. "Don't worry about it. Did he say he'd come?"

"Not directly. But if he cares about my well being, he will. I hope."

She sat there in silence for a while, until she egged Diana on into talking about Ryan Dwell. She had a lot to say, so Pansy listened intently.

Ryan had become her friend while they worked together in the house, and before long, she'd marched up to him and told him she wanted more. So he'd kissed her, and one thing had lead to another.  
"And here I was thinking you were a coward," Pansy joked, and Diana playfully smacked her arm.

"Hey, watch it. I wouldn't want any red marks for my beloved Senus, would I?" Pansy said sarcastically, and Diana rolled her eyes.

"Pansy!" A voice called from downstairs, and Pansy knew it was her mother's.

"Hm…Satan calls," she muttered, waving goodbye with a wiggle of her fingers and heading down the stairs. Renadele was waiting in the front room.

"Oh, look at you! Pretty as a flower, aren't you? No pun intended!" Renadele announced cheerfully to her, throwing her arms around Pansy like they were old friends. Awkwardly, Pansy patted her back and stayed still until the woman released her.

In a flash, she had been yanked upstairs back into the beauty parlor room. The pedicure chair was gone, and in its place was a giant vanity mirror, with a chair in front of it. On the counter of the mirror was several assorted makeup items, ranging from blush to fake eyelashes.

"Such soft skin… Got masks, did you?" Renadele attempted to make small talk while she started on Pansy's hair.

She began with a simple straightening charm, and Pansy realized how much her hair had grown. It was even longer now, but it looked nice, compared to what it had once been.

Pansy grunted in response, and the overzealous makeup artist took this as a yes. She started pulling the hair back tightly, though left some hair around her eyes.

Pansy winced as her hair was yanked into a tight ponytail at the back of her head. Renadele began with perfect curls with just a wave of her wand, fixing the hair somehow so that it looked like a short ponytail of thick ringlet curls. Next, she moved onto the hairs left in front. She began by parting it above the arch of her left eyebrow, and performed separate curling charms on each bit, leaving it in soft waves around her face.

"Isn't that just about perfect?"

Pansy stared at herself, her eyes drooping. She could really use that potion just about now.

"Just about," Pansy snapped in response, but Renadele didn't seem to mind.

She got started on her makeup shortly after adding a few minor adjustments to Pansy's hairstyle.

She spent ages on Pansy's makeup, adding item after item, making Pansy feel like a little doll. What felt like days later, she was allowed to look at herself.

Apparently, makeup had been applied to make her look tanner, which did its job nicely. She had a bit of black around her eyes but also a sparkly white, which made her extremely dark eyes stand out even more. Her lips had been lined with perfection, then added a pink to them. Her cheeks had a bit of pink tint to them, and her normally blonde eyelashes were now thick, black, and long.

She couldn't complain and say anything looked bad. Actually, she could almost think she looked beautiful. But the reason why she looked this way was to look good for Senus, and that always made her feel like she should be taking off the makeup and looking terrible for him.

"Why the long face, dearie? You look dazzling!" Renadele bragged, leaning her face up next to Pansy's and smiling prettily. "Anything you don't like?"

Pansy wished she had something she didn't like. Everything looked so nice, but so opposite of her. She wished she could rip the hair down and dip her face in water, just to be back to what she once was.

"No."

Renadele looked beyond herself with happiness. "Wonderful!"

Pansy just glared at her reflection, standing up. At that moment, a few sharp raps beat against the door, and Pansy knew it was either her mother or Senus. Hopefully not the latter.

The door opened, and Regina stormed in, giving Pansy a quick once over. She then moved over, surveying the hairstyle from every angle. Satisfied, she nodded her head once and Renadele began to gather her things.

"You have two hours before Halle arrives, since she's 'forgotten' about one of her customers scheduled for this afternoon. You had better not get that hair or makeup messed up even a little bit."

Pansy nodded, not in a mood to argue with her. It was close to one o'clock, and Pansy went on a search for a maid. She needed a potion to keep her from falling over and going to sleep right there in the hallway.

She trudged up to the servant's quarters for the second time that day, seeing a frightened looking maid coming out of one of the doors.

"Excuse me," Pansy began, surprising herself with her politeness. "Could you get a Wakening Draught made up for me and delivered to my room?"

The maid nodded vigorously, and Pansy retreated to her bedroom. In there, she retrieved the letters Draco had sent her, reading them over and over again. It felt comforting to read them, placing his voice with the words and pretending he was actually there.

A couple of gentle knocks sounded at the door, and Pansy called the visitor in. It was the same maid, carrying a acid colored vial. She offered it to Pansy.

"Thank you." She wrapped her fingers around it, lifting it from the girl's little hand and downed it in one gulp. She'd had it before, though the taste was still just as shockingly horrible as it had been the first time she'd taken it.

"Anything else I can get for you?" the maid squeaked. Pansy shook her head and the girl rushed from the room as fast as she could.

She knew she intimidated the maids, merely because she's the boss of them. Well, Regina mainly because she paid them, but they were still supposed to answer to all members of the house.

She busied herself with random things, mostly finishing up the last chapter of _A Summer in Paradise_. It was her second time reading it, but it seemed to get sweeter each time she did. She wished she had a relationship like Carrie and Jacob had in the books, but knew it wasn't possible.

Pansy heard her mother's voice welcoming Halle in the foyer downstairs, so she placed the book down and moved down the steps, careful not to muck up her hair.

"Ah, the little Bachelorette! Not for very long though, hm?" Halle grinned, making her way up the stairs to the spare bedroom, setting up in there. Pansy followed glumly, choosing not to respond to Halle's comment.

"This won't take long, dear. Just making sure that your recent loss of weight hasn't affected how the dress fits you. And if it does, we'll make a few quick adjustments and that will be all."

Halle helped Pansy into the dress, seeing it fit a bit loser in her stomach section. She said nothing, carefully using her wand to make it tighter. Pansy felt quite like she couldn't breathe. Regina, who was standing off to the side, surveyed the image.

"It looks tight enough. I considered putting you in a corset, Pansy, but you're skinny enough as it is. The photographer will be here in a few minutes."

Pansy nodded, slipping into the expensive heels that she had picked up with Senus and taking a few steps in them. She had experience with heels, and the bottom of the dress allowed her to move her legs enough to walk normally.

"Beautiful," Halle complimented. "I believe my work here is done. Excellent hair by the way!"

Halle gathered her things and left with a tiny pop. Pansy turned to her mother, who led her downstairs. A pudgy man with an enormous camera waited in the hall besides a maid.

"Can I take your coat, sir?" the maid asked gently.

"And get your germs on it? This is an expensive coat, missy." He glared at her and she nodded, hurriedly leaving the room.

"Pansy, this is Mr. Sisilla, and he'll be doing your pre-wedding pictures," Regina introduced her, smiling.

Mr. Sisilla grinned horribly. He took a few minutes to position Pansy perfectly on the steps, then took the photograph. It nearly blinded her eyes.

"Don't worry, lass, it happens to everyone. A bright flash, this one has." He lifted the camera again, snapping it again. Pansy prepared herself, keeping her mouth straight and emotionless. He snapped about ten or twenty more, Pansy lost count, and then repositioned her.

She was to smile this time, which she did uneasily. It seemed like a very reserved smile, shy and fake. Her mother encouraged her to look happier, and Pansy did her best.

After about ten more positions and hundreds more pictures, she was free to go. There was a little spot blinding her a bit, but she managed to make it to a chair and sit down.

"So close, dear," Regina said, heaving a sigh. "I'm happy it's finally come. Even if it was sooner than I expected."

Pansy ignored her mother's attempts to make small talk.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about Senus." Pansy didn't respond again, so her mother continued. "As long as you don't upset him, I think you two can have a very happy marriage. You shouldn't be upsetting your husband anyway. The reason women are made is to please their husbands and create children."

Pansy was sure she'd read those exact words in one of the books she'd been forced to read earlier that summer. She remained silent, knowing her Draco would come. He could do something. He had connections.

Regina gave up trying to get Pansy to speak and left the room, entering her office and slamming the door behind her.

Pansy returned to her bedroom and laid her head gently on the desk, careful not to mess up her hair or makeup, and fell asleep.

She dreamed of her wedding, walking down the aisle and taking her place beside Senus at the front. And just as she was being asked for her vow, Draco leapt from the crowd, pulled off his disguise and saved the day. It sounded dreadfully like a fairytale, but she was content in dreaming it for then.

Just as she and Draco had arrived back at his manor, she was being shaken vigorously by him. And then she realized it wasn't him at all, but a servant attempting to wake her up.

She sat up, stopping herself from rubbing her eyes at the last second. How long had she been sleeping? She didn't even remember laying her head down.

"Madam Parkinson wishes your presense downstairs. She says it's time for touch-ups and then you'll be off to the wedding."

Pansy nodded to the servant and waved her arm. He left the room silently and Pansy walked over to her mirror. She didn't look much different, except her eyes a tad red and a bit of sleep in them. She got that out careful enough, smoothing her dress and walking downstairs to meet her mother in the hallway.

Diana was there, smiling in approval. Pansy smiled lightly back, and Regina looked horrified that she would do such things in front of an inferior.

"The maid will tidy up your hair and makeup. We're nearly late."

Diana moved over to Pansy, performing a quick few spells on her that perfected everything, probably better than Renadele had done.

"He'll come," Diana whispered to her, and Pansy nodded, glad her mother wasn't paying much attention.

"Let's go," Regina ordered, opening the door and letting Pansy out. They apparated within a few seconds of each other, arriving at the Brooke Event Hall just outside the door.

Pansy was whisked inside, then led to a room near a giant pair of arch doors, supposing that the wedding guests were waiting in there.

"Here, you look tired," Regina pointed out, pulling a vial out from her pockets. It was the same stuff Pansy had earlier, but in a bigger vial.

She downed it quickly, using a refreshing charm on her mouth as soon as it was gone. She felt immediately more energized, and nervous. What if Draco didn't show? No, he would. He would.

Genevieve and Dallas looked nice, and were arranging their bouquets in their hands. A woman popped her head in the door and motioned for them to come. Pansy watched them go, feeling glad Dallas had not said anything pertaining to Draco.

Time was ticking by, and Regina left the room to take her seat, leaving Pansy all alone in the giant room.

The woman opened the door again, motioning for Pansy to come. On wobbly legs, she obeyed and stood in front of the closed arch doors, waiting.

The ushers opened it from the inside, revealing the bride standing there. Her veil was pulled down over her face, but the dress could still be seen and her perfectly creamy skin.

She began the walk down, each row standing up and observing her as she did so. She felt so many eyes on her that she wanted to just faint, and the dress was so tight. At last, she reached the front to see Senus awaiting her, looking fashionable.

He pulled the sheer layer of the veil back, revealing her face. And then took her hands in his. The guests sat back down, and the priest began his speech, talking slowly and turning his head to each of the couple in turn.

Pansy's eyes drifted behind him, to where two groomsmen stood, and then near her, where Genevieve and Dallas watched the wedding occur intently. Genevieve caught her eye and glared, so Pansy turned quickly back to Senus.

_Anytime now_, Pansy told herself, her eyes continuously flitting towards the doors to see if Draco would be coming.

At one time, she stared at the door for some time, and Senus squeezed her hands fairly hard to grab her attention back.

Time for the vows, and Draco still wasn't around. Maybe her dream would come true, and he'd step in just before she answered the priest.

"I do," Senus replied clearly, and the priest's attention was directed towards her.

"Pansy Parkinson, do you take Senus to be your lawfully wedded husband, through sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

She gulped. Draco's last chance. Senus squeezed her hands again tightly.

"I do."

No knight in shining armor. He wasn't coming.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Senus, you may kiss the bride."

Senus leaned in and planted what Pansy had mistaken for a delicate kiss on her lips, then pulled back and started leading her down the aisle.

She was Mrs. Pansy Yitel. It was all over. No chance of being freed.

* * *

Authors Note: Don't worry my dears. This isn't the end. 


	11. A Resolution

Author's Notes: Muaha… You're all wrong. And **Raisa**, you pronounced it correctly. It is indeed See-Nus.

Pansy was still in disbelief as they boarded the carriage which was meant to transport them to the reception. It was customary that two white horses pulled a carriage after marriage in the Yitel family, and Regina had not objected to it whatsoever.

Senus looked to her, a sickly smirk on his features.

"Looks like your precious Draco isn't as brave as you thought."

She turned to him, a hard glare decorating her face. She hadn't meant it, but Draco…Well, how dare he bring him up? She felt like crying miserably and just locking herself up, not bothering to talk to anybody for the rest of her awful life.

Before she knew it, Senus was kissing her roughly, biting her lip to where it bled. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong. When he at last freed her, she wiped a streak of blood from her lip and crossed her arms. She wanted to pout and throw a temper tantrum, but it wasn't in her power. What good would it do, anyway? She was married to the worst man in the world.

Why hadn't she married Joel Gazelle or Steven Reynolds? Next to Senus, they seemed like extremely great guys. She leaned her head against the window, watching the world pass by.

They arrived at the reception in good time, and Senus lead her inside. A polite applause erupted from the audience as they entered. Pansy's husband wore a horrible smile, raising his hand and waving at them. Pansy could practically see her mother glaring at her, so she faked a tiny upturn of her lips, raising her hand a bit.

She didn't have the heart to pretend anymore. She hardly grasped onto the crook of Senus's elbow as he practically dragged her inside, to the center of the large dance floor.

"The bride and groom's dance," a man bellowed under the _Sonorus_ charm. Senus placed one hand on her side and the other with her hand, pulling her closely to him. She set her hand weakly on his shoulder, staring at the crowd as she danced.

They were all watching with the same expression. Dull. They'd done this before. They'd seen enough weddings. And every one of them knew that it was betrothal. Because every one of them knew what a psycho Senus was. But they smiled and clapped, 'oooh'ed and 'awww'ed, merely because they knew they weren't the ones having to live with him and put up with him. As long as they both shall live, or in other words, a death sentence.

When the song finally ended, the string courtet playing out their final notes, Pansy was extremely relieved to let go. Senus began talking to an older looking man with a fierce passion, and Pansy took the opportunity to get some snacks. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and her stomach felt horribly empty. Perhaps food would distract her from Draco. Or she'd just wretch it up.

A few others were gathered around the long table filled with little snacks, ranging from mints to fruit, all along it. She picked up one of the expensive bowls, scooping in some raisins and a few rye chips.

"Pansy!"

She turned her head, recognizing the voice, but couldn't pinpoint whose it was. There, standing farther down the table was Millicent. She was grinning wildly.

She looked magnificent. She must've lost ten pounds since Pansy had last seen her. She still had broad shoulders and thick bones, but she looked much thinner than she had in school. All in preparation for her wedding, Pansy presumed.

She could've cried at the sight of a friendly face. She set the bowl down, throwing her arms over Millicent and hugging her tightly, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Oh, Pansy," Millicent sighed in sympathy, patting her back. "I really thought Draco was going to do something. I guess his blood means more to him than you."

"What do you mean?" Pansy asked, pulling away. Her stomach rumbled, so she picked up the bowl again and scooted close to her friend.

"You don't know?" Millicent looked shocked. "His parents heard all about his rendezvous with you, from one of the servants, so they went off on him. Threatening to disown him, and saying he was marrying one of your cousins. He owled me all about it and asked me to tell you, but my owls kept returning. I thought you'd sent them back, but then I remembered that your Mum took away your owling rights."

Pansy nodded. "I thought his parents might be relieved. Dallas is horrible, and they know me."

"Yeah. Yeah, I thought so too. But they just blew up. He said he'd never seen his father look angrier."

So he'd nearly gotten disowned because of her? It wasn't exactly good news, but it comforted her in an odd way.

Millicent looked to her watch. "Pansy, I'm really sorry about this. I've got to work extraordinarily early tomorrow, so I need to go. Try and owl me, all right?"

Pansy hugged her again, sniffling miserably and nodding. She would owl her, definitely.

For the rest of the reception, Pansy was hounded by people she didn't even know. They must've been friends or relatives of Senus, because they kept shaking her hands and commenting about how pretty she was. Some of them kissed her cheek, wishing them a long and happy marriage. Well, one thing would come true. The long bit.

Finally, Pansy and Senus stood on either side of the door. It was time for the end of the reception. On their way out, each guest shook hands, bumped cheeks, or hugged either the bride and groom. And they would thank them for coming.

When at last every guest had left, Senus proffered his arm once more. They took the same carriage to their new home. All of Pansy's things had been transported there by some servants. As a wedding gift, Regina had given them some maids and servants, plus a couple of spare elves to start off their mansion in.

On a newly built sign near the gate was 'Yitel Estate', and Pansy knew she was going to hate it. They were dropped off, and she hadn't a chance to look around before she was lead inside.

"Wonderful, wasn't it?" Senus asked without requiring an answer. He took off his coat, handed it to a house elf, and turned to her. "Come, I'll show you the bedroom."

Her heart sped up to an incredible pace. This was it. She was going to have to willingly give herself to him. Stiffly, she followed him up the steps and through the first door on the left. The room was huge, with an enormous bed, two enormous dressers, bookshelves, decorations, and large windows overlooking the grounds. There were four doors in the room, and Pansy wondered what led to each of them.

Senus wasted no time.

……..

In the morning, Pansy awoke to feeling extremely sore. Senus had been rough, and she knew that she had bruises. Senus was missing from the bed, and in his place was a bit of parchment.

_Gone to work. Be back at five._

_Senus_

Pansy felt so relieved to know that she didn't have to see him until five. It almost distracted her from her pain. She took a long, soaking bath, examining a long purple bruise across her stomach. Luckily, no visible marks but a cut on her lip from the ride to the reception. Once she was out, she pulled a bathrobe over her form and went out into the hallway. She felt like the whole place was empty, and it was so large.

A maid was bustling along the hallway, with grey hairs sprouting along her bonnet and wrinkles on her face.

"Excuse me," Pansy said, and the maid looked up suddenly. "Is there a stable here?"

"Yes, ma'am. We've got six horses, ma'am, and a couple of other animals 'round there. It's just off behind them gardens." The woman pointed outwards to the right, as if it were really going to help.

"Thanks." The maid started to walk off, but Pansy spun around. "Is a maid named Diana working here?"

"Not that I know of. I can 'ave the charts checked for yeh, ma'am."

Pansy nodded in gratitude. "And who will care for my hair while I'm here?"

The maid looked lost in thought for a moment. "There's a youngen named Hannah that ought to do the job. Unless you're looking for something real fancy…"

"No, just a simple braid. Can you have her come to my room in twenty minutes?"

The old woman nodded, and Pansy retreated to her room. She looked through several drawers before coming across her stable clothing. Her mother deeply disapproved her being out in the stables, and had bought the clothes against her wishes. Just a simple pair of riding pants with a shirt.

Maybe this whole being married to Senus thing wouldn't be so bad. He'd be gone until five each day, and she could do whatever she wished until then. Perhaps she'd say she felt sick tonight and go to bed early. It felt comforting thinking that when she woke, he'd be gone.

She slipped into the riding clothes, pulling on shoes. They were sort of like tennis shoes, comfortable and flat. She washed up a bit, when a knocking came from outside the door.

She opened it, seeing a young looking maid standing there. She had dark black hair and dark skin, chocolate brown eyes and her maid ensemble looked far too big for her.

"You must be Hannah."

The maid nodded. Pansy opened the door, allowing the girl in and moving to sit in front of the new vanity, which was much fancier than her last.

"I'd like a braid," Pansy requested, and the maid nodded again.

"Zis I can do." Her accent was so thick that Pansy hardly understood what she had said. But the maid began working on her hair. A quick drying spell, straightening spell, and then pulling it into a maid. Hairs fell around her face a bit, shorter than the rest, looking acceptable.

"Thank you," Pansy muttered, heading out through the back door and outside. It felt nice, being out there with the morning air. She went straight to the stables, past an impressive garden.

Grouped around it were some stable hands, apparently on breakfast break. They had sandwiches or something like that in their hands and were eating away. One stopped to open the barn door for her.

"Will you be needing any help, ma'am?" he asked.

"No." She felt confident that she could handle the horses in the barn. She'd been riding for almost half her life, only leisure.

She looked at each of the horses in turn, reading the chart beside their stall. One of them was dappled gray, and had grabbed her attention. She brushed him, suited him up, and led him out to a large arena.

As soon as she had mounted him and started him off at a brisk trot around in a circle, one of the stable hands caught her attention.

"Ma'am, you've got a visitor."

She sighed, calling the horse to a halt and tying him up to a post for the moment, pulling off her gloves and heading towards the house.

On her way, she saw someone heading towards her that made her stop. She nearly fell over, halting mid-step.

It was Draco. Striding towards her, his usual tame blonde hair sweeping about in the wind. He was dressed like a muggle, with jeans and a sweater. Even in the summer, he scarcely wore cool clothing.

_"I guess his blood means more to him than you."_

She remembered Millicent's words and her expression tightened. Draco reached her at last, looking sorrowful.

"Pansy," he began without his usual drawl. "I'm sorry. I tried to get in… You have to know that. I had the Polyjuice Potion brewed. I was going to hex Senus into oblivion and come in and save you last minute. I came hours earlier with the intention of hiding out in his dressing room until he came."

"So what stopped you?" she snapped, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Guards. They flooded the place, all over every door and in front of every window. I swear. I tried to pass by, looking like Senus and all, but they said they needed some kind of password. I imagine that Yitel expected me to do something like that. He'd sent me a few threatening owls that I replied to. I assured him I would stop his wedding. But I couldn't. You have to understand."

She stared at him, searching for a sign that he was lying. But she didn't see any. It didn't mean he wasn't though.

"It wouldn't work anyway. Senus and I are married, officially. There's nothing that can be done now." Pansy turned around and started back towards the stable. She bit her lip to stop from crying, but the tears were still threatening to fall.

"Pansy!" She could hear him jogging towards her. He reached her at last, looking solemn. "Let's get disowned. Look, my shop is bringing enough profit to help us for a while until you can get a job. I can't marry your cousin, because I'll have to see you at family gatherings with…him. And I'd rather be with you than have money."

"But I'll still be married to him. There's nothing I can do."

"Divorce! It's all the rage for mudbloods. If you tell him you're going to leave the family to be with me, he'll be forced to sign the papers. There's no way he won't. He wouldn't be seen with a disowned girl."

She considered this, reaching the stable at last. She loved Draco. She really did… It was worth it. She hated her family, and if having a lot of money made her this depressed… then she'd rather be poor.

"Okay, okay. What should I do?"

He smiled a true genuine smile. She loved it when he smiled, since he did so rarely. "I'll have the divorce papers owled to you."

"What if he hurts me when he sees them?" she asked worriedly, stopping in her tracks. What if Senus killed her?

"Have him meet you at the Ministry to have the divorce official. He won't hurt you in front of Ministry officials."

She nodded. "I'll get the papers and then have him meet me there. Right. All right. This is going to work."

"Of course it is. I thought it up. I'll have those papers sent to you immediately."

He leaned in, planting a kiss on her cheek delicately, then apparated off with a small pop.

She tried to ride again, but found herself far too distracted. She had a stable hand put the horse up and returned to the house. After a quick shower, she dressed and went downstairs for some food.

For the rest of the day, she explored the Gardens. At nearly five, she came back in the house and busied herself with reading the _Daily Prophet._ The door opened, just over five o'clock, and she heard Senus bustling around in the foyer.

"Pansy?" he called out.

"In here," she replied simply, not looking up from her paper.

The door opened and he entered, looking tired but somewhat relaxed. "When will dinner be ready?"

"Sometime around six or seven, I suppose."

"Go find out."

She thought about refusing, but set down the paper and left anyway. After a bit of creative exploring, she found the kitchens. Inside, house elves were busily cooking. But once they saw her, a few came over.

"Would madam like some tea?"

She shook her head. "When will dinner be ready?"

"Six-thirty, madam."

She left quickly, returning to the parlor and answered his question. He grunted in response, deep into reading her newspaper.

Just then, something hit the door. Pansy suspected it was a knock, but it was only one and they could've used the chime. Peering into the foyer, she saw a letter on the doormat.

"What was that?" Senus grunted.

"I hit my toe," she lied quickly, picking up the letter and slipping it into the folds of her attire, hiding it from view.

After dinner, while Senus bathed, she read the letter in one of the spare bedrooms. It was just a divorce form, requiring two signatures on the bottom. She hurriedly filled out her name, spouse's name, all that. The reason for divorce made her pause a moment.

_Fight too much, don't get along, and want to be with other people._

On the line for date of marriage, she wrote down yesterday's date. That wasn't going to go over well, but she would tell that betrothal was being used in her family line if it meant leaving Senus.

She stowed the letter in the top drawer of a desk, returning to her bedroom. It was almost eight, and Senus had no intention of going to bed.

"A few colleagues of mine are coming over for drinks. I expect you will stay upstairs and not bother us."

An idea popped in her head. "Actually, I was hoping I could drop by and see a friend."

Senus snickered. "Your sweet little Malfoy boy? I don't think so."

"No, Millicent. I promised her I'd drop by sometime, and I'm sure she's still up. I won't go see Draco. He was a waste of my time."

He looked satisfied, and waved her off, leaving the room. She went out the back door and apparated right outside Millicent's house. After a few quick knocks on the door, she heard the bustling of someone coming.

Crabbe answered, seeing Pansy and smiling. "What a surprise," he said without any enthusiasm. "Come in."

She nodded gratefully, stepping in. Crabbe fetched Millicent, who led her to the kitchen for a bit of coffee.

Pansy told her about Draco stopping by and her plans to be disowned, then marry Draco.

"Won't that mean he'll be disowned as well?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. I guess I do mean more to him than his blood," Pansy replied smiling beyond herself.

"That's wonderful! I'm lucky my parents won't mind if I still hang about you. How is your Mum, anyway?"

"She's all right. Ecstatic that I finally got married, really," Pansy answered grimly. "I'm hardly eighteen."

"I know. But so am I, and I'm getting married. I've got to work again tomorrow morning, so you won't mind if we finish this up later, will you?"

Pansy shrugged, standing up. "No. I'll see you another time. Shortly."

When she arrived back at the Yitel Estate, it was almost nine-thirty. She felt tired, probably from waking up so early. Senus was still in the parlor with his friends, so she went on up to bed.

The next morning, Senus didn't have to work. It was Saturday, after all. She got up earlier than he did and prepared for a visit to the Ministry.

By the time she was ready, he was up.

"Senus, we've got to visit the Ministry today."

"For what?" He asked, wiping sleep from his eyes.

"I'm not exactly sure. We won't be long though," she lied, but perfectly as she ran a hand through her hair.

"And how do you know all this that I don't?" he muttered gruffly, turning on the bath water.

"It was one of those owls that diminish after it's been read. I didn't know," she carried on calmly.

"When?"

"We have to leave at one," she answered, and he left into the bathroom without another word.

She grinned broadly to herself, moving to the spare bedroom she'd occupied the day before and placed the letter in a pocket of her outfit, waiting patiently for one to come around.

At last, the clock hit one and made a loud chiming noise. Pansy and Senus apparated separately to the entrance of the Ministry of Magic, approaching the front desk.

"The appointment is on level three, room twenty-nine," Pansy said before Senus could ask the secretary. She smiled politely.

In silence, the married couple went up the lift three levels, then to room twenty-nine. The man inside was expecting them. Draco had sent Pansy an owl the night before saying he'd scheduled an appointment.

"You must be Pansy," the man stated. "Arnold Hayes." He shook each of their hands in turn.

"So what's this about?" Senus demanded gruffly.

"You don't know?" Arnold questioned curiously. "Pansy, did you tell him?"

"We're getting a divorce, Senus," Pansy told him calmly. He stood up suddenly, knocking over his chair.

"We are absolutely not getting divorced! You'll be disowned, and I won't sign it!"

Arnold sighed. "Mr. Yitel, it is mandatory. You must sign it. Did you know muggles sometimes take two years for divorces to actually come through? It's a mess. Here, two signatures and we'll have it done within minutes. We'll destroy the file and we'll burn the marriage certificate."

Senus was breathing heavily and his face was red from anger. "You're mistaken. We're not getting divorced. Come on, Pansy." He grasped her arm tightly and pulled her up.

"Mr. Yitel! Sit down and let go of her!"

He did as he was told, sitting down and gritting his teeth.

"Now, sign it and this will all be over. I see Pansy has already signed her own line, so now it's your turn." Arnold pushed the papers toward him.

Senus read over it, nearly crushing the quill in his hand. Actually, he did crush it, so Arnold handed him another one.

After a few minutes of staring angrily at the paper, Senus signed and threw the quill at the ground, standing up and leaving the room. The door slammed tightly with his exit.

"I can see why that ended. But only a day being married. Sad. Off you go. I'll have your marriage files terminated and can I have that certificate?"

Pansy reached in her pocket, retrieving the certificate. Arnold held it up and burned it with his wand, letting the ashes fall onto the table. He zapped them away, smiled to her, and told her she could leave.

Once she was outside the Minstry, she felt free. She apparated to the Estate, planning to gather her things. But on the porch were a few bags. She peered in one, seeing her clothes and toiletries crumbled inside it.

Nothing could put a damper on her mood. She scooped up the bags with difficulty and apparated to Diagon Alley. From there, she levitated them to Draco's quidditch supplies.

He was behind the counter, smiling foolishly at her. He set the bags down, scooped her up and kissed her, right there in the middle of the shop. A few of the shoppers grinned knowingly, while others grunted at the sight.

"You should've seen him. He was so angry," she explained to him, just as an owl flew him and dropped a letter out in front of Pansy. On the cover, she saw clearly her mother's handwriting. "Here we go."

She opened it carefully, pulling out the letter.

_Pansy,_

_I can't believe what you've done. I spent so much money on that wedding…On you. And now you're throwing it all away for that little wimpy Malfoy! You know what this means. I will have you disowned, and I expect the clothes that I rightfully own will be delivered to my house. Even the ones you're wearing._

_Regina Parkinson_

She sighed, crumpling the letter and throwing it in the rubbish bin.

"I need to borrow some clothes," she said quietly to Draco, who looked confused. He didn't ask, just apparated to his manor, leaving her in charge of the shop.

She just rang up a few customers before he arrived, carrying a pair of jeans, which she was sure were going to be too big. He also had a T-shirt that would be extremely tight on Draco.

Pansy smiled gratefully, accepting them and going into the backroom, changing. She gathered up the clothes she'd been wearing and stuffed them inside the bag.

"I'm going to go make a delivery. I'll be back."

She gathered up the bags in her arms again, apparating outside her previous home, where her mother currently resided.

She rung the door chime, and her mother opened the door. It was unusual for her to do so; usually a house elf took care of that.

She looked a fright, with her hair out of place and her face looking blotchy. She snatched up the bags, slamming the door in her face.

Had her mother been crying? She had left her with nothing. Except her precious Professor Lupin.

Pansy cringed, apparating back to Draco's store.

Within a few weeks, Draco was disowned as well. They married in a small church cheaply. School friends attended, but no parents or relatives. Pansy didn't expect them to show up.

And that was how it ended. Pansy became Pansy Regina Malfoy, and they lived on. Draco's shop pulled in enough money to get them an apartment for a while, until Pansy got a job. Eventually, they would have children. But their children would not be subjected to the pureblood ways. Because both had learned their lesson.

….

Author's Notes: I hope you liked it. And if you didn't…Well… I know it's not one of those fairytale endings, but it's realistic. It's one of those stories that purebloods can tell to their children to keep them from being biased against mudbloods and halfbloods. How nice!


End file.
